A Long Road
by Merisel
Summary: The Autobots' idyllic life on Earth comes to an end when Starscream returns with more Decepticons.AN This fic will contain occasional smut, violence, angst, character death, etc.
1. Chapter 1

"Beware soldiers bearing gifts," Will Lennox announced as he jumped from his jeep. "And, before you ask, Ironhide, the answer's still no. I can't get you any nuclear-tipped missiles. Sorry."

"Well, what do you have?" Ironhide asked, after the mandatory grumbling.

"Hang on..." Will went to the back of the jeep and uncovered a large black gun, one that a human would have to balance on one shoulder to operate. "It's called a 'pulsed power' gun, still in the experimental stage. Meant to deliver a 10,000 volts, hence the name." He hauled it out to show to Ironhide. "This is one of the first designs our military came up with, but it was labeled as flawed and rejected. I figured if anyone can tinker around and get it to work, it's you."

"Hmph. Well..that might be interesting," Ironhide grudgingly admitted, lowering a hand to Lennox's level for it.

"Thought you'd say that." Will smiled, dropping the gun onto the huge palm. "I had to call in a couple favors to get this thing. Actually, it was kinda strange, the way it just fell into my lap," he added, thoughtful.

Ironhide nodded absently, already thinking of ways to boost the weapon's power, and modify it to add to his arsenal.

"You're welcome," Will said--to Ironhide's back. The large black Autobot had already wandered off, engrossed in examining the weapon.

Maggie shook her head, chuckling. "I think he likes it."

Used to Ironhide's manners by now, Will grinned, nodding. "Yeah, me, too."

"That will keep him occupied all day," Ratchet remarked, before greeting Major Lennox.

Optimus stepped forward next. "It's good to see you again."

"Same here, Optimus. Sorry I couldn't get out here last month."

Optimus smiled down at him. "Ironhide did not complain, too much."

"Meaning he didn't blow up too many trees," Will joked, then turned to greet the silver Autobot, Jazz.

"Yo, Captain," Jazz said. "How's it hangin'?"

"...Jazz..." Sam muttered under his breath. His partner's definitely watched too much television.

Will smiled indulgently. "Now _that_ I'm not telling, Jazz. And it's Major now, as you already know.'

"Oh, sure. I just think 'Captain' sounds better."

"Thanks...I guess."

"Will, my man!" Glen gushed, clapping hands with his army buddy. "How ya been?"

"Pretty good, Glen. You?"

"Doin' great, thanks. Maggie's lettin' me go with her to a comp expo in January," Glen enthused.

"It's a electronics expo, actually," Maggie corrected, smiling at Glen's excitement. "The International CES, in Las Vegas."

"Sounds cool, Glen. Congrats," Will said, with another grin. "And good luck getting some software there."

Glen grinned back broadly. "Thanks, pal!"

"Hey, Major." Sam stepped forward next to shake his hand. "Good to see you again."

"Did you bring more pictures," Mikaela asked, eager for more photos of Will's baby girl.

"Tons, of course." Will pulled a thick envelope from a back pocket.

Mikaela laughed. "Well, let's get inside and look at them, then!"

"Okay, lead the way, Mik-- Whoa!" Will exclaimed when Bumblebee suddenly picked him up in one hand. "Ok, maybe not.."

"Bee!" Mikaela chided, but couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. He was as fond of Will Lennox as Ironhide was.

"That's ok, Mikaela. As long as he doesn't drop me," Will added, winking at her.

"I would never drop anyone," Bumblebee protested, indignant.

"If he does, I would have you fully functional again within days, Major Lennox," Ratchet had to point out. Bumblebee directed a mock growl at him and picked Mikaela up with his other hand.

Will carefully kept a straight face. "--thanks, Ratchet. That's good to hear."

"That was so not funny," Mikaela said, patting Bee's fingers as he took her and Will inside to the living room.

"It kinda was, actually, " Jazz disagreed, and plucked Sam off the ground.

Sam rolled his eyes, sitting up in Jazz's palm. "You think everything's funny."

"You bet." Jazz grinned at him, then followed Bumblebee.

Ratchet chuckled and scooped Maggie up. "I can walk, you know," she reminded him, giving his thumb a small squeeze.

"Yes, I am aware of that fact," was his casual reply, which made her laugh as he took her inside to join the others.

Shaking his head at the affectionate jibes, Optimus went inside last. The humans were seated on the sofa now, with their Autobots standing behind it, gazing down. Ironhide had also found his way to the living area, just as Will passed around over two dozen new photos of his daughter.

"Hey, she's got hair now," Jazz remarked.

"Yeah... It was going to happen eventually," Will said with a laugh. It was funny how the Autobots reacted to what were, to humans, common occurrences.

"I think she looks like you," Mikaela said, smiling at him.

"So do I," Ironhide agreed, even though he couldn't figure out how she came to that conclusion. To him the infant's features just looked...round.

"Thanks, you two."

Ratchet looked up from the photograph on his palm. "Someone's coming."

Ironhide immediately went into battle mode, hands fisting as his cannons were extended and armed. "We have an intruder."

"Did you invite your cousin again?" Jazz asked Glen.

"I'd warn you guys if I did!" Glen insisted, puffing up.

"Stay calm. Ironhide, retract your cannons," Optimus ordered, looking to Ratchet.

Ratchet shook his head. "I do not sense any threat to us."

"They'd be an idiot to start something with you guys, anyway," Will stated, matter-of-factly, as he picked up the photo Ironhide dropped.

"But who could it be?" Mikaela asked, frowning worriedly.

"We'll find out." Optimus turned to Bumblebee. "Bumblebee, recon."

"Yes, sir." He gave Mikaela a pat on the back with one finger before leaving the room.

"Be careful!" she called out to him.

"I will."

"--gonna go get the grill goin'," Glen muttered, still miffed at being the 'obvious suspect', and headed out back to the pool area.

Maggie sighed and got up. "I'll help Glen with the barbecue."

"All right." Ratchet nodded, staying to see who their visitor was.

* * *

Bumblebee took up a position on the roof and waited. It wasn't long before a black SUV with tinted windows appeared. It drove slowly across the desert, it's occupants making no effort to conceal themselves. They even went so far as to honk when they were within twenty yards of the 'vacant' army base.

He scanned the vehicle; there was only one person inside, driving it. It couldn't be Lennox's friend, Master Sergeant Robert Epps. He had only been able to visit them once since Mission City, having been sent overseas again shortly afterward. Ironhide had been quite disgruntled by that.

Curious, Bumblebee jumped down and cautiously approached the SUV, halting in his tracks when the door opened and_ He _emerged.

"Is it safe to go in, or are you gonna lubricate on me again?" Agent Simmons asked, keeping his distance from the large yellow Autobot.

Bumblebee folded his arms over his chest, giving the human his most imposing stare.

"I shall ask Optimus Prime the answer to that."

"Okay." Simmons also crossed his arms, refusing to be intimidated this time, and waited, leaning against the back of his SUV.

_This is very odd_, Bumblebee wondered why this particular human persisted in coming here, where he obviously wouldn't be welcome. /It's Agent Simmons, Optimus. He's alone. May I send him away?/ 

"It is Agent Simmons," Optimus informed the others.

"Simmons?" Sam frowned, as did Will. "What the hell's he doing here?"

"I believe the only way to discover that would be to invite him inside," Optimus said mildly. /No, Bumblebee. Let him come in./

/...yes, sir.../ "--you may go in," he told Simmons.

"Okay, thanks." Simmons straightened and starting following him. "...I also dropped by to say I'm sorry, for what you went through before...Bumblebee."

Bumblebee made a noncommittal sound, the only response Simmons was going to get from him, as he led the man inside.

"Why'd you come back here?" Sam asked when they entered the living room.

"Did you follow me?" Will accused at the same time.

"We were assured that we would not be bothered here!" Ironhide stated, talking over the two humans.

"One; I just wanted to stop by and see how things are going. And two; I did wait until your scheduled visit, Major Lennox. I figured with you here, they'd be on their best behavior." Simmons looked pointedly over at Ironhide and Jazz. "You haven't been out on any more midnight excursions, have you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Jazz snidely retorted, while Ironhide flexed his hands.

"Manners, please..." Optimus quietly admonished both Autobots and Simmons, and they obediently stopped needling at each other.

"Well...I'm gonna go see how the barbecue's's coming along," Sam said, getting up and making his exit. _Simmons is not gonna to ruin this party_, he decided, determined to have a good time.

"A barbecue, huh?" Simmons asked. "This a private party, or can anyone join?"

"Are you asking our permission?" Ratchet inquired, also reacting to their guest's rudeness.

Simmons hesitated, glancing at Optimus, who looked back at him impassively. "Yeah.. You mind if I stay a while?"

"I do not mind, entirely," Ratchet said, a touch condescendingly.

"Guess I don't, either," added Jazz, with a careless shrug.

Ironhide fiddled with one of his cannons. "Fine. He can stay..I suppose."

"Thanks, Simmons replied, after Optimus nodded.

"Their party is outside by the pool, behind this building," Optimus told him.

"We have to take the long way, 'cause we're too big for that door," Jazz griped.

"You mean the door is too small," Ratchet corrected. "It must be replaced."

"Ok, I can arrange that," Simmons said, then frowned when they all looked at him. "What? It's no big deal."

"Thank you, Agent Simmons," Optimus answered for everyone present. "We would all appreciate that."

"Okay..You're welcome." He shrugged, and headed out to the pool.

"He's being strangely helpful," Bumblebee said, puzzled.

"Yeah.." Ironhide glowered. "What's he's up to?"

"We need to keep an eye on him," Jazz said, firmly, as they transformed and rolled out.

"Yes. He cannot be allowed to freely roam about our home," Optimus agreed. "I'll watch him."

They reached the pool a moment later and changed back to their robotic forms, then observed the human ritual of a pool party: The scorching of meat and vegetables, listening to loud music, liberal imbibing of a liquid called beer, and conversing on a variety of topics, the main one being Will Lennox's budding family.

Simmons made no attempt to sneak inside and snoop around. Instead he spent his time being ignored, and watching everyone.

Maggie switched to a soda to humor Ratchet, who'd analyzed the beer and mentioned that too much of it had a negative affect on humans. Plus it's odor made his olfactory sensors spasm. She cajoled Ironhide into showing her all three of his cannons, then whispered something else which made the dour-faced Autobot smile; almost eagerly, it seemed.

Glen snickered when, instead of one of the lounge chairs, Sam sat on one of Jazz's huge feet, with the excuse that it was more comfy.

"Thanks, Sam," Jazz replied, with a grin that was downright suggestive somehow.

"Welcome, Jazz." Sam patted Jazz's 'toe', then leaned back, wiggling a little in the process. The silver Autobot's optics glowed a little brighter.

_Interesting. Weird, but interesting,_ Simmons thought as he took another swig of beer, and glanced over at Mikaela. She'd sat down in a chair next to Bumblebee, who was practically hovering over her. It didn't bother her at all, though. She smiled up at him and rested a hand on his foot. 

Turning away, Simmons noticed Optimus watching him again. _Might as well be now._ he couldn't hang around here much longer, anyway.

He got up and, snagging a second bottle from the ice chest, caught Optimus' eye -- or, rather, optic -- before heading back toward the base's main entrance.

/Ratchet, with me./ Optimus said over a secure line, since his medic appeared to be the least distracted of the four.

/Yes, sir./ Ratchet jokingly told Ironhide not to get carried away and fire off a missile, before following their leader.

Simmons had stopped halfway to the front of the building and was leaning against the wall, drinking his beer while waiting for them to catch up.

"Why did you come here?" Optimus pointedly asked him.

"Maybe I'm just curious about that piece of Cube you said you've got. You don't mind showing it, do you?" he asked, taking another sip.

Optimus looked down at him for a moment, then pulled the All-Spark shard from a small crevasse under his chest armor, holding it up between two fingers.

"Uh-huh. That is kind of small, isn't it?" was Simmon's only comment.

"Yes..." Frowning, Optimus tucked the shard away. "Are you prepared to tell us why you're really here now, Agent Simmons?"

"Yes, I am," he said, and the two Autobots stared down at him. "Relax, it's not bad news. But it's officially deemed classified, so you didn't hear it from me. I didn't even know myself, until a week ago. Damn red tape."

"I see... Go on," Optimus prompted, briefly wondering what strips of adhesive had to do with the man's visit.

"One of those...Decepticons, you called them?...got away. Our satellites picked up images of it leaving Earth with it's tail between it's legs. That's just an expression," he added, when they looked puzzled. "It was the one that disguised itself as a fighter jet."

Ratchet scowled. "Starscream."

"When?" Optimus asked, equally displeased. Why would the humans conceal Starscream's escape? It made no sense to him.

"A few days after the Mission City Battle. We've been keeping watch day and night. There's nothing coming our way, other than the usual comets and such we already know about. It there was something new, we'd have spotted it by now," Simmons confidently told them.. "Besides, we know that it only took you guys a couple days to get here, when Bumblebee sent out a signal. That Starscream thing's long gone."

"That does not explain why we were led to believe that all of the Decepticons had been destroyed," Ratchet stated, annoyed with himself for failing to sense that that hadn't been true.

Simmons snorted. "Well, that's the human race for you. Taking credit for everything, even things we don't actually do. Welcome to our wacky world," he added, raising his bottle.

"Not all of them are dishonest." Optimus narrowed his optics at the man, aggravated by his pessimism. "We have found true and loyal friends on this world."

"Well, you're lucky, then. Better keep them close, your...friends. Anyway, I gotta be going now. See you later."

"...thank you, Agent Simmons, for informing us of Starscream," Optimus grumbled.

"You're welcome. And tell Ironhide to enjoy that new gun," Simmons said, as a parting shot, before continuing on to the front of the base. _Everybody's got secrets, _he thought as he drove away.Maybe he'll let the Autobots in on one or two more that he knew, later. Maybe.

"That man is...peculiar, " Optimus commented, staring at the retreating SUV, then turning to Ratchet for confirmation of Simmons' claim. "Do you sense anything?"

After careful contemplation, Ratchet shook his head. "No, nothing. If Starscream hasn't succeeded yet in rallying the Decepticons..."

"His position among them is weak. It is very likely that they've rejected him as their leader," Optimus agreed. It was better for the entire universe if the Decepticons have retreated back to Cybertron, the world they'd won, as much as it pained him to admit it.

"I apologize, sir, for not sensing Starscream escaping."

"It's understandable, Ratchet. Saving Jazz required all of your concentration at the time. However, we must remain cautious at all times."

Ratchet nodded. "Yes, sir."

'Nothing coming our way', Simmons had said, which meant Autobots as well as Decepticons. Optimus dampened a surge of disappointment, unwilling to give up, at least not anytime soon. He looked up at the sky for a long moment before following his chief medic back to the Lennox party.

* * *

One week later

"Can I ask you something?" Maggie said, sitting cross-legged on the work table, watching Ratchet build a larger outer casing for Ironhide's new weapon, the pulsed power cannon.

He glanced up briefly from Ironhide's 'toy'. "Of course."

"Just what does this Starscream look like?"

Ratchet took a moment to use a welder before answering. "In appearance, he is similar to Megatron, but slightly smaller."

"Well, Megatron was all iced up when I saw him, but he looked pretty damn ugly."

"Ugly is an accurate description," he remarked, amused.

"Yeah, it is." Maggie smiled, then turned serious again. "The only ones I'd really gotten close-up looks at were Bumblebee and that freaky little Decepticon, Frenzy. So, I was wondering..."

Ratchet paused before retracting the welder back into his left arm. "I can show you an image of Starscream, if you wish."

"Okay, sure..." She nodded, mentally bracing herself.

"All right." He pressed a finger against a spot on his head, pulling an image from his memory bank.

A huge, hulking metal monstrosity suddenly appeared a few feet away from the table. "Holy shit!" Maggie yelled, scrambling backward.

"Careful." Ratchet scooped her up when she got close to the table's edge. "Decepticons are an intimidating sight," he said apologetically, curling his fingers around her.

"...I had to ask, didn't I?" Maggie pointed out with a self-deprecating laugh, gripping his forefinger.

"'One should know thy enemy'," he quoted, deactivating the Starscream image as he set her back down on his work table.

"That's from... The Art of War, I think." She rubbed her upper arms, feeling chilled. "You're sure he's not coming back here?"

"Yes, I'm reasonably certain. He hasn't returned yet, which is a good sign." Ratchet looked down at Maggie, then changed to his vehicle form. His holoform was activated, and he put his arms around her. She sighed, resting her head against his chest for a moment before leaning in and kissing him. _This is odd, _he thought, wondering why one would become amorous after a frightening experience, and scanned her vital signs as he kissed back. _Ah. That increase of adrenaline must be the cause._

"Lovely..." she purred, her hands sliding up his chest and over his shoulders. His 'skin' felt sort of tingly. Almost as if she could feel the power that sustained his holoform. That was a fanciful bit of imagination.

"Yes, you are." Ratchet kissed the side of her neck as he removed her blouse.

Maggie laughed a little at that. "No, I meant you. You're lovely," she corrected, helping him with the rest of her clothes, and shivering slightly afterward. It'd been getting a bit chilly lately in the mornings, in this steel and concrete building. _Bloody winter..._

"Hmm... Thank you," he said with a pleased smile, and lowered her to the table.

_Guess no one's ever told him that,_ she thought, inhaling sharply when her bare skin touched the cool metal, then tugged him down with her. He always made her feel warmer. Much warmer. "You're perfect..." Maggie whispered, stroking his cheek. _How did I get so lucky? _

His smile widening -- he rather liked being flattered like this -- Ratchet shifted to push deep inside her, settling into the slow steady pace they both enjoyed.

"...yes..." Maggie moaned in response, kissing him again. Her right foot bumped against something hard, and she turned her head to look. "Oh...Um...I really shouldn't...interrupt your work...on that cannon."

"It can wait," Ratchet decided, reaching back and pushing the casing aside. "You're more important."

"Mmm...I like the sound of that..." she murmured, running her hands down his muscular back.

He smiled and slid a hand down her thigh. "Much more important," he amended, pressing his fingers against the back of her knee.

"Uh!" Maggie shuddered as she came with a sudden, intense rush.

Ratchet growled low, going still as her body tensed, muscles contracting tightly, which jarred his sensors, as always. Not that he minded that in the least. He smiled, kissing her deeply when her tremors faded.

_God...how does he do that? _she wondered, once she'd come back down to earth, breathing hard. "That was..." 

"Amazing," Ratchet finished for her, then recited from memory. "As well as fantastic, amazing, and marvelous."

"Mmm... Not to mention fabulous."

"Yes, that, too," he chuckled.

"M-hmm..." Maggie closed her eyes, feeling very relaxed now, and twitched when he kissed the length of her neck. Smiling, she teasingly rubbed her foot against his leg. "Again?"

"Certainly." Ratchet smiled back, more than happy to oblige.

* * *

He was alone when she found him, crouched on a giant, dusty black boulder, on a barren, lifeless planet. She knew he had to be aware of her landing, but Starscream made no effort to acknowledge her as she strode up to his perch. That deliberate snub irritated Thunderblast. "So... No one else has deigned to grace you with their presence?" she asked, mockingly.

"---I've sent Dirge and Hardtop to track down the other Seekers."

"Do you really think they'll come willingly? Especially Thundercracker?" She smiled maliciously as the mere mention of that name had Starscream seething with resentment.

"As you have?" he bristled, infuriated by the reminder of his subordinate's defiance. "And without your shadow, Shortround. Tell me, did Shockwave openly refuse you in front of everyone on Cybertron?"

"You are hardly in a position to pick and choose your allies," Thunderblast angrily snapped back at him. "I won't deny that I approached Shockwave first. He is the one in command now."

Starscream stood and furiously paced atop the boulder. "_I_ was Megatron's chosen second!"

"Yes, and that would have automatically made you our next leader, if Megatron hadn't humiliated you so often for his own amusement," she remarked, watching him prowl back and forth. "In the meantime, Shockwave's influence had grown far and wide. He is the one everyone listens to now."

His red optics narrowed suspiciously. "What do you suggest, then?"

"I suggest that you rely on more than just increasingly petulant orders." Thunderblast paused, her optics roaming over his metal frame. Starscream was very well-made, better than most Decepticons, but relatively young as well. She wondered if he, like that stiff-wired Shockwave, has ever merged sparks with another. "_Do_ you have more to _offer_?"

Starscream stopped pacing, ignoring the innuendo, and mulled over her advice. As much as he_ hated_ the very idea of returning to that miserable planet, the alternative -- being forced to relinquish all authority to Shockwave -- was even more intolerable. "I know the location of Optimus Prime's new base," he reluctantly told her.

"Ahh." She smiled and jumped up onto the rock, standing beside him. "Optimus Prime still lives, while our great leader is dead. I can't think of a greater ploy than offering us a chance to finally finish off those accursed Autobots."

"Very well." Resigned to going back to Earth, he stepped away from her and sent out yet another message.

This time he only had to wait two mega-cycles before receiving the first reply, from Sixshot.


	2. Chapter 2

"'Parting is such sweet sorrow'," Mikaela intoned, and grinned at Ratchet and Ironhide once the blue Corvette was out of sight. Maggie had decided against getting a ride from either of them, just in case they happen to 'get lost' on the way to the airport, she'd joked.

Ironhide crossed his arms and gave Mikaela a disapproving frown, which didn't appear to phase her at all. "Hmph. She'll only be gone five days."

Ratchet looked puzzled. "How can sorrow be sweet?"

"It's just a silly Shakespeare quote, Ratchet. Never mind."

"Oh."

Jazz nodded. "I've read his stuff. That guy was kinda morbid."

Sam grinned up at him. "Hey, if I went on a trip, would you miss me, too?"

"Hell, no. I'd be going with you." Jazz declared, though his gaze darted toward his fellow Autobots. "Hey, Ratchet. Gonna call Maggie on her cell phone every hour?"

"Certainly not. That would annoy her," Ratchet answered, with an aloof expression. Mornings and evenings will be sufficient, in his estimation.

"Well, yeah. That'd be the point of it."

Ironhide gave Jazz a smack, for himself and Ratchet.

"Hey, don't mess up my paint," Jazz protested.

Sam looked over at Mikaela. They were joking, as usual, but there seemed to be an underlying tension, too. "What's going on?" he asked, point-blank. "Is there any more news about Starscream?"

They all looked at Ratchet, who shook his head. "I haven't sensed anything specific," he told them. "Only a vague feeling of...unease. I cannot explain it further at this time; it could be the result of a number of things."

Sam tried to look on the bright side. "Hey, no news is good news, right?"

"How can no--" Ratchet broke off when Jazz jabbed his fingers against Ratchet's side. "Yes, of course, Sam."

"Well, until we know more, we'll just have to keep our eyes and ears open, like Optimus said," Mikaela spoke up, leaning against Bumblebee's foot.

"Yeah..." Sam rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm gonna ask my parents if I can sleep over here for a few days. Better do it now, while it's still kinda early."

"Ok, sure, Sam." Jazz nodded and transformed to his Aston car mode.

"Thanks, Jazz. See you all later." Sam waved, hopped into the passenger seat, and Jazz sped away.

"I'll be at Mikaela's house at night, if she wants me to." Bumblebee looked down at her.

"Yes, please." She smiled at him. "But right now I really need to do some grocery shopping. That ok, Bee?"

"Of course, Mikaela." Bumblebee quickly changed into the Camaro; he'd never pass up a chance to spend time with her, whatever she was doing. He drove off as soon as she was in and buckled up.

"Hmph. Maybe we should go to that city. Las Vegas, they call it," Ironhide said, examining the new cannon attached to his right arm. Three million volts was a decent improvement, so far.

"No... There are too many people there, and too much street traffic. We're safer here, away from such risks." Ratchet looked to the East, frowning slightly, before going back inside the base with Ironhide.

* * *

"...filth-y...inx...ens...ins-sects..."

"Give it another blast," a voice ordered. "And keep it docile. I'll be right back."

Frenzy shrieked with badly strained vocal processors as the scaldingly cold wave of white mist engulfed him, and thrashed about madly, as he always did. To do otherwise would be giving up, admitting defeat. That was something he would never do, no matter how much torture these insects...these humans inflicted on him. Sometimes he could hear one or two of them laugh, mocking the noises he made and gloating over the complete control they had over him.

Frenzy. That was his name. Not N.B.E. three, as _they_ continually called him. He _must_ remember that. _Frenzy!_

Those same humans were usually careful to keep his energy levels low, but usually not so low that he was able to go into stasis for some respite. No, he'd often been online when they removed sections of his body to study and perform various tests on, then reattached them. They also found and removed all of his weapons, sometimes literally cutting them out of him, including every razor-sharp disc. That constant freezing they inflicted on him also prevented his severely damaged systems from self-repairing properly.

Frenzy weakly lifted his head, his optics again drawn to the even more vicious taunt of the humans. Brief flashes of memories were all he could retrieve without draining what was left of his reserve energy. Tiny, disjointed snippets of his partner. His...friend?

"B-B-Black-out..."

They'd been a team on this world, trying to find something. Something very important...but he could no longer recall what that was.

A few more fragments were retrieved, this time of Blackout's capture. Frenzy didn't know exactly how they'd lured Blackout out of hiding. The only thing he was aware of was that he'd been the bait in the humans' trap. If Frenzy hadn't been in near-lockdown at the time, he might have been able to send out a warning. Instead, Blackout had been frozen, and taken to this prison. He was still intact when he was brought in.

Not anymore.

Now he was completely dismantled. Each and every one of his hundreds of parts was kept separate, in clear, glass-like containers -- and placed on shelves that covered the entire wall, a display to be stared at. Even his head had been taken apart, right down to his optics. Frenzy turned away from that horrific sight and sank down onto the floor of his small cell, waiting for whatever painful ordeal was in store for him next. There was nothing else for him to do. For now.

* * *

_This used to be fun,_ Maggie reflected, sitting on a bench to rest her feet, and listening to snatches of conversations around her. It was basically the same as all the other expos she'd attended in the past three years. There were the usual debates over which gaming systems perform the best. Speculation on what hot new 'toys' the rich yuppy parents might buy for their kids for Christmas later. Etc, etc. Corporate executive types were forever trying to figure out which were the best prospects to invest in. Before she'd been amused by the circus-like atmosphere; now she just found it all incredibly tedious. 

A lot of the people she'd met so far here just seemed so pretentious, it almost made her grind her teeth. It didn't help that three guys had tried to pick her up yesterday alone, when she was stuck in a huge line with Glen, waiting to register the four-day pass. _As if._

She'd almost told one obnoxious jerk that she already had a 'boyfriend'. Two, in fact...sometimes at the same time, even. The look on his face would have been priceless, but she kept her cool and he eventually moved on to someone else. Glen would have gotten a kick out of it, though. Maybe if it happens again...

And speaking of Glen; Maggie pulled out her cell phone and called him, instead of trying to locate him in this noisy mob. "Hey, Glen. It's Maggie."

"Yo, Autobot Queen," he said, rather loudly to her ears.

"Glen!" _Autobot Queen? Good grief, when did he come up with that absurd nickname? "_Don't broadcast!"

"Oh, don't worry. We're all checking out some awesome new speakers. Nobody's payin' attention."

"I hope so... Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I'm heading back to our hotel now. I'll see you later."

"Sure thing, A.Q.!"

"Bye..." Maggie rolled her eyes and put the phone back in her purse, then went outside and took a taxi to the hotel. In three days this will be over, and she'll be free to fly back to California, and home.

Back in her room, she pulled a cd from her personal stack and got it playing. Kicking off her high heels and plopping down on the bed, she looked through the room service menu.

_So lately, been wondering  
Who will be there to take my place  
When I'm gone, you'll need love  
To light the shadows on your face_

_God, that song's actually really---depressing,_ Maggie thought with a frown. It reminded her of a few things she'd been determined not to think about. Until now. Her mood went rapidly downhill as she continued listening. _What the hell did I get myself into?_

_

* * *

_

"Hey, Maggie." Glen was at her door a couple hours later, knocking loudly. "Open up! You awake in there?"

"Yes! Hold on!" she called back, taking a couple deep breaths to compose herself before going to the door. _Please..don't let there be cops chasing after him..._ Maggie almost crossed her fingers, before opening the door. "All right, what happened, Glen?"

"You're not gonna believe it!" He practically bounced into the room, saying something about getting someone's autograph. She couldn't quite catch the person's name; he was talking way too fast. Glen was so excited, he even did that funny little hip-hop dance he'd invented. "Man, this place is da bomb!"

_Breathe life into this feeble heart  
Lift this mortal veil of fear  
Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears  
We'll rise above these earthly cares_

"Geez! What the hell kinda song is that?" Glen went over and stopped the cd, then turned and looked at her. "Ok, who killed your dog?"

"You know I don't have a dog." She sat down on the edge of the bed. _Do I really look that bad? "_It's something that I did, Glen. I...I'm going through a 'negative phase', as you've called it," she hedged, still trying to sort it all out in her head.

Glen clapped a hand to his forehead in dismay. "Damn, girl, I thought you were over that for good now." He dragged a chair over and parked himself in it. "Ok, let's hear it. What's it about this time?"

"Ratchet, and Ironhide," Maggie reluctantly confessed, sighing dejectedly.

Glen gave her a bug-eyed, confounded look. "Say what??"

Maggie looked down at her clasped hands, hesitating for a long moment. It probably wasn't the best time for this, but she really needed to get some things off her chest, and Glen was the one she usually talked to about her problems. "Have you ever gotten the feeling that...like, we're just possessions to them?"

"You're kidding, right? Two great guys that just happen to worship you?"

"Worship?" She almost laughed at that absurdity. "Do you have any idea how conceited that sounds, Glen?"

"Whatever." He shrugged. "I just call it like I see it."

"But the point is that they're not really 'guys'!" she exclaimed, trying to put some serious misgivings into simple terms for him, so she didn't come off sounding like a shrink. "They're not human. It can be so easy to forget that sometimes, when they're using their holoforms...but the fact remains that they are aliens. Highly advanced robotic aliens."

"Okay...Yeah... So what?"

"'So what'?" Maggie repeated, astonished. Why did he have to be so flippant all the time? "Glen, don't you get it? We're talking about beings that are millions of years old, and will probably live millions more. And we've only known them for about six months now. Six months! That's nothing to them. Maybe we're nothing to them, too, other than some form of entertainment." There. She said it.

"That's a load of bull. You know they don't think like that. " He crossed his arms, giving her a majorly vexed look. "I've got eyes and ears, ya know. I've seen how it's been between you and them. Same thing with Sam and Mikaela. You gotta know by now that they're crazy about you."

"What I know is that they like sex, a lot," Maggie said bluntly. Great... Now she felt like a slut on top of everything else. "They like the novelty of it."

"And again, so what? Hell, I'd like sex, too, if I was getting any." Glen paused. _Damn, that wasn't supposed to come out like that. "_Why're you dumpin' all over them for _that_?"

"I'm not! I'm just saying...why me? They could get _that_ from anyone, really."

"Now that's just plain dumb. Hell,_ they_ obviously know a good thing when they see it," Glen insisted. "They'd never find anyone better, anyway. So there."

Maggie couldn't help but smile at that bit of nonsense. "Liar. You're just saying that because you're my friend."

"Ok, fine." _Time for some reverse-psychology, _he thought. "You go ahead and shut down on 'em. Break their hearts, crush their feelings, all that. I'll let 'em mope for a week or so, then take 'em out on the town and see what happens. With those holos they use, I'll be beating the chicks off of 'em with a stick."

"What? No!" Maggie instantly objected. "Don't you dare!"

"A-ha!" Glen crowed. "Gotchya!"

"Ooh!" Maggie practically growled at him, raking her fingers through her hair. "You can be so..._illogical_ sometimes!"

"What the hell's logic got to do with this? Love ain't like rocket science. You gotta quit trying to make things so complicated and just go with your feelings, the way they do.

And I _know_ they've made you happy. Or have you been faking it all this time for some crazy reason?"

"No, of course I'm haven't!" Maggie closed her eyes a moment, feeling oddly drained as she leaned back on her elbows on the bed. These kind of talks with Glen can be exhaustingly therapeutic. "...and, yes, they've been wonderful," she conceded, blushing slightly as some very pleasant memories came to mind.

"Ok, good...good." Glen nodded. He kinda enjoyed really deep conversations like this, but dinner would be nice, too. "You feelin' better now?"

"Yes, I do, actually," Maggie said, sitting up again and smiling at him. "Thanks for letting me vent on you, Glen."

"Better me than _them!_ You'd have 'em thinking you picked up a virus or somethin' here."

"Oh, I'd believe that!" Maggie laughed. "Ratchet would want to do a thorough examination."

"I bet you'd enjoy that," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, stop it!" She blushed furiously now, but had to wonder, though, if Sam or Mikaela had had the same doubts. And if so, how did they resolve them? They were both obviously perfectly happy with their relationships. Maybe they've decided to just take it one day at a time. There wasn't anything wrong with that, really. After all, who knows what might happen tomorrow, or next week. A big earthquake could strike, or-- _Oh, hell, Glen's right. I do think too much sometimes. _Maggie shook her head at herself. That really has got to stop.

Glen bounced up from the chair and grabbed the phone book. "Tell ya what. I'll order us up some Kung Pao chicken, and we can do some yoga while we wait for it."

"Oh, no..." Maggie groaned, covering her eyes as she fell backward onto the bed. "Yoga is so boring, Glen!"

"Hey, yoga is crucial! That's some massive negativity we need to disperse." He picked out a decent-sounding restaurant and ordered three different items.

"And a large Coke!"

"And a large Coke," Glen repeated, and gave the hotel address and room number. "Ok, it'll be here in about thirty. Until then, it's yoga time."

"Okay... Oh, wait!" She practically jumped up from the bed when her cell phone rang. "That would be Ratchet."

Glen snickered at how fast she reacted. "Girl, you are _so_ off the market."

"Glen!" Maggie waved a hand in his direction before answering the phone.

"'Glen!'," he mimicked, giving her a 'V' sign before going back to his room to dig out his new-age-music-for-yoga cd.

* * *

"What possible reason we might have to follow you?" Shockwave interrupted, arms crossed and his single red optic fixed on Starscream. The last to respond to the message, it was an inconvenience to him; being forced to leave Cybertron and follow the other Decepticons to this thoroughly worthless planet. "You say your team is dead. Both the Cube and Megatron have been lost to us forever. Your latest mission has been another complete _failure_."

Thundercracker stood in front of the other Seekers, watching with discussion with amusement.

Starscream shot his rival a venomous look. It would have been so must easier to simply challenge Shockwave outright, but he couldn't trust the others not to interfere. Especially Soundwave. "It was the humans who aided the Autobots in destroying Megatron, as well as the others!"

"Puny life-forms that I could crush beneath my feet?" Shockwave was patently skeptical of the humans' threat.

"Small they may be, but there are billions of them on that planet," Starscream retorted. "They have also--"

"We should return to our own world," Dirge broke in, shifting restlessly on his feet and ignoring Starscream's annoyance. "Why bother with what pitiful few Autobots are left, and an insignificant race?"

"The Autobot resistance has been eliminated from Cybertron," Shockwave added. "Optimus Prime and his remaining followers are of no concern to us."

"Is the technology they've stolen from us of no concern as well?" growled Starscream.

Sixshot came forward at that. "Stolen? How?"

_So now they're interested in hearing my report... _A little embellishment was in order."As I was _trying_ to say, it was the humans who destroyed Megatron. But only after he had been kept prisoner for hundreds of meta-cycles. They also conducted several _cruel_ experiments upon him!"

A scrabbling sound was heard, and Soundwave pulled aside one of his chest plates to allow an infuriated Ravage out.

"Megatron was tortured?? How dare they!" Ravage snarled. "They must die for this!"

"Oh, they have dared much. These humans have used the knowledge they've _stolen_ to develop weaponry very similar to ours." Starscream almost smiled as he added even more fuel to Ravage's lust for revenge. "Not only that, but these humans are insanely acquisitive creatures. They _chose_ to destroy the All-Spark, willfully, rather than return it to us, it's _rightful_ owners!"

"For that, too, they must all die!" Thunderblast declared, glancing around at the others to gauge their reactions. Several were nodding in agreement.

"They'll soon find out the punishment for their crimes!" Shortround seconded, daring anyone to contradict him, which, for once, they didn't.

"And if the humans had surrendered the Cube instead of resisting, you would despise them for their cowardice," Thundercracker drolly remarked. Behind him, Skywarp made a small, amused sound when Thunderblast and Shortround both glared.

Ravage hissed at Thundercracker, then at the other Deceptions assembled. "Megatron must be _avenged!!"_

"He will be," Sixshot stated. He personally was eager for the chance to kill more Autobots, especially Optimus Prime.

"I agree," Soundwave said, taking Ravage's side over Shockwave's. "We cannot ignore this insult."

Shockwave glanced curiously at Soundwave, who rarely let one of his underlings dictate his actions. Then again, Ravage was in a rare state of wrath, due to Starscream's instigating. It had spread through the others, as if it were a contagion. That was, undoubtedly, exactly what Starscream had intended.

"When are we leaving, then?" Ramjet asked, bored with all of the talking.

"Immediately. If there are no objections, of course." Starscream looked around; nearly every was now voicing support of this new mission to exterminate the humans, although Thundercracker looked less than pleased with it. His gaze met Shockwave's, who was the last holdout.

Shockwave stared back, nodding slightly in acknowledgment of Starscream's tactics. A journey to Earth was inevitable now. He would simply bide his time and wait for Starscream to make a mistake, like he always does. "I have no objections."

"Excellent." Starscream opened a direct link to all of them and supplied the coordinates to Earth, then gave the order to depart. Finally, he was in a position to command.

While the others were transforming to their travel forms, Soundwave approached Starscream. "What became of Frenzy?"

"The humans must have captured and destroyed him," he replied dismissively. "Now prepare to leave."

"Yes... _Lord_ Starscream." Annoyed, Soundwave put extra emphasis on the title, as if implying it did not belong to Starscream, which earned him a dark scowl. He ignored it and rejoined the others. Let them obsess over the humans and the Autobots. His first priority on Earth will be to find Frenzy; he was fairly certain he would have sensed his friend's demise. But what sort of condition might he be in now, on that primitive world?

This wasn't something he could normally speak of to other Decepticons, though. Most of them had nothing but contempt for genuine loyalty and friendship. However, if Starscream was to be believed, Frenzy will be in need of more repairs then he would be able to provide.

He opened a private line and sent a message of his own, to Hook.

* * *

_'Gotta keep running...' Sam repeated that over and over in his head as he sprinted down the street. A few feet ahead of him, the helicopter monster landed, deadly sharp blades spinning from one of it's hands, aimed right at him. _

_'No...nonono..."_

_He somehow managed to dodge those blades and made it past the 'copter thing, running again. But another giant gray Decepticon appeared, swooping down to land and block his path. 'Shit, how many of them are there??' _

_He cowered between two cars as explosions burst all around him, shaking the ground. By some miracle, the fiery blasts missed him. A voice shouted at him then, saying something about a building. He was on his feet and running again, faster and faster. There it was, just a few yards away. The building with the statues. Twenty feet...ten...five.. He threw himself through the doors, barely pausing to catch his breath, and rushed to the stairs, taking it two steps at a time. _

_Sam looked up; he was over halfway there, but the stairs were endless now, the top of them remained just out of reach. He put more speed into his climbing, but it was futile. It was as if he was running in place. His legs were getting tired, his lungs burning, and each step was slower than the last one. _

_There was a monster right behind him. He could hear it smashing it's way through the wooden staircase to get to him. It was catching up fast, almost on his heels. 'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...' His foot caught on a step, and he flung his free arm out, trying to catch his balance and still keep a tight grip on the Cube. No matter what, he must __**not**__ drop the Cube._

_The next thing Sam knew he was falling, falling for what felt like an eternity, screaming until he was hoarse. A giant metal hand suddenly appeared and caught him, saving him from certain death on the pavement below._

_'Thanks..." he started to say as he looked up, expecting to see Optimus' kind blue optics. Instead, blood-red ones glared malevolently at him. _

_"Maggot!" Megatron sneered, fingers closing tightly to crush the life out of him._

_"Nooo!" Sam screamed, struggling desperately against the inescapable grip._

_"Sam?" A distant voice called, and something banged into his side, almost bruising his ribs. "Sam?"_

"Wha--!! Where am I??" Sam jerked upright and looked around wildly, his heart still pounding._ Shit! That seemed so real!_ He wiped a few drops of sweat from his forehead and looked over at the clock. It wasn't even midnight yet, but that nightmare seemed to last several hours.

Jazz was crouched next to him. "You're at our base. Remember?"

"Yeah..." He nodded, then sank back down in the sleeping bag.

"Bad dream, huh?" Jazz tilted his head, concerned by Sam's pallor. "You ok?"

Sam nodded slightly, still a little freaked and no way near ready to try to go back to sleep. "It was _him_. Megatron," he said, rubbing stinging eyes. "I've spent months trying to block it all from my mind."

"Yeah. I deleted a little bit from my memory bank, too," Jazz somberly told him.

_Oh, crap.._ Sam groaned, remembering what had happened to Jazz at Megatron's hands. He couldn't even begin to imagine how agonizing that had to have been, being torn in half...

"Sorry... Didn't mean to bring it up."

"Hey, don't worry about it, " Jazz assured him. "Sometimes it's better to talk about things, ya know?"

"I guess..." Sam shrugged, staring up at the silver Autobot.

"Well, that's what I read, anyway." He shrugged, tapping his metallic fingers on the floor. Holoforms made it so much easier for them to connect with their humans. Jazz moved back and transformed. "Got enough room for two in there?"

"Yeah, sure." Sam quickly unzipped the side of the sleeping bag. Jazz's holoform slipped in next to him, and two arms wrapped around him. He smiled and gratefully reciprocated, feeling a lot safer now. "Thanks..for sticking around."

Jazz smiled, zipping the bag back up for him. "No problem, Sam. I'm not goin' anywhere."

"Promise?" Sam asked, starting to drift off already.

"I promise, Sam."

"Thanks...love you..." he whispered, as he slipped into a deep, and peaceful this time, sleep.

"Yeah... Same here," Jazz said, a little gruffly, and kept his holoform activated the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

"Good morning, Mikaela."

"Morning, Bee," she answered, blinking sleepily at him. Every time he spent the night at her house, he'd turn on his holoform the moment her alarm clock rang. Which was really very sweet of him. Mikaela pushed aside the blanket -- she often slept in the nude -- and smiled slyly at him. "Now how about a proper good morning?"

Bumblebee hesitated for a brief second. Mikaela often awoke cranky, and had readily admitted that she definitely was _not _a 'morning person'. "You mean like this?" he asked, moving over her and kissing her breathless.

A faint sigh escaped Mikaela, and her toes curled in response. "Yes..."

Bumblebee smiled at the dazed look in her eyes, and repeated the 'proper' greeting. Mikaela threaded her fingers through his hair, before sliding both hands down to grip his hips, pressing him against her to let him know she wanted more. Just as he did. Bumblebee kissed her again, passionately, as he filled her.

"Mmf.." Mikaela wrapped her legs around his waist, as tightly as she could, knowing that it didn't hurt him in the slightest. It always thrilled her, the way he could be both rough and gentle at the same time. Bumblebee's hands glided up her trim arms, then over her upper body, squeezing in all the right places. Her soft moans encouraged him to rock faster. Mikaela held back as long as she could before peaking wildly. "_Bee!_"

He ducked his head to kiss her, muffling her cry. The walls of her house were thin, and neither of them wanted her neighbors complaining about the noise again.

"Thanks," she said, with a low chuckle.

"Welcome." He grinned briefly, then slid an arm around her and rolled, pulling her over on top of him. Mikaela wriggled a little, getting comfortable. Her soft body rubbing against his holoform produced a very pleasant tingling sensation.

"Remind me to return the favor, after school," Mikaela mused, trailing two fingers over the center his chest, the exact spot where his spark casing was located in his robotic form.

"Oh, I will," Bumblebee promised, caressing her back.

/_Bumblebee_./

He jerked slightly at the unexpected, and terse, message. /_Ratchet?_/

/_We have a problem. Return to base, now_./

"Bee? What's wrong?" Mikaela asked, growing uneasy over his worried frown.

"I have to go back to our base. Ratchet said there's a problem," he told her.

"That sounds serious.. I'm going with you," she declared.

"But you have school today," Bumblebee reminded her, not wanting to interfere with her schedules if he could help it.

"I'll just call in sick." Mikaela moved off of Bee and got up, hands on her hips as she stared hard at him. She'd never run away from anything in her life, and wasn't about to start now. "Whatever's going on, we're in it together. Got it?"

"Got it." He smiled at Mikaela, admiring her fierceness.

"Right." She nodded and grabbed a clean t-shirt and jeans from her closet. "Can you give me a few minutes to get ready?"

"Of course, Mikaela. I'll be waiting outside."

"Thanks, Bee," Mikaela said, her smile returning. "I'll hurry."

"All right." His holoform nodded, then vanished.

After a quick shower, she threw on the clothes, called the school, and rushed out the door, purse and shoes in hand.

* * *

"But you can't say for sure it is more Decepticons, right?" Sam asked, looking hopefully at Ratchet.

Ironhide glowered. "Who else could it be?"

"As I said, I sense a grave danger approaching." Ratchet shook his head, frowning. "I apologize for not being able to be more specific at this time."

"I'm not blaming you," Sam was quick to assure him. "I mean, it's not like you can actually see the future. I'm just wondering: Why now? Why'd they wait?"

"It may be that the delay was deliberate," Optimus conjectured.

"Hmph. Starscream would think we'd lower our guards so soon," Ironhide growled, extending, then retracting all four cannons.

Jazz smirked. "He's not the brightest of the Decepticons."

"Or the most patient," mused Ratchet.

"So what can we do right now?" Mikaela asked.

"I shall contact Secretary Keller, as well as Agent Simmons," Optimus decided, with great reluctance on the latter option. "One of them may know if there's anything approaching Earth."

"Simmons?" Sam repeated, both he and Mikaela giving Optimus sympathetic looks.

"He may be of some help..." Optimus shrugged slightly, nodded to everyone, and returned to his room. Keller, he soon learned, was in a lengthy meeting which was bound to last at least another hour, and could not be interrupted. Agent Simmons was another disappointment, as his cell phone was apparently temporarily out of service.

_Human technology is still so limited..._ Optimus reflected as he accessed the World Wide Web next, scanning hundreds of sites for anything pertinent. Nothing. Stifling his frustration, he spoke briefly with Ironhide on his way outside to send out another signal.

* * *

"Maggie's still in Vegas?" Mikaela asked Ratchet.

"Yes. However, I've left a message on her cell phone for her, and Glen's."

"Ok, good." Mikaela nodded, then noticed Sam frowning at her. "What?"

"I dunno..Oh, crap!" he exclaimed, clapping a hand to his forehead. "We're late for school!"

"Oh. Well, I called in sick before I came here," she told him.

"Dammit..." Sam groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Hey. You had more important things on your mind," Jazz stated, and looked at the others. "He had a nightmare last night, about Megatron."

Ironhide looked puzzled. "Megatron was destroyed, Sam."

"Yeah, I know," Sam replied, wishing he'd thought to ask Jazz to keep quiet about it, so everyone wouldn't stare at him. Too late now.

"Hmm.. There have been instances when the dreams of certain humans have proven to be prophetic," Ratchet mused.

"Huh?" Sam stared at him, appalled. "No...nonono. Do _not _even go there!"

/Like he wasn't scared enough... Thanks a bunch, Ratchet./ Jazz irritably sent to him.

"There is no scientific evidence to prove that the phenomena is real," Ratchet contritely pointed out.

"Right..." Sam hopped up from the sofa. "I'd better get going... I'll call the school and tell 'em I had a flat tire. Just as a cover story," he quickly amended at the insulted look Jazz gave him.

Ironhide smiled at the idea of Jazz breaking down like a common human vehicle, but refrained from teasing him about it.

"I'll call you during the lunch hour, let you know if we've found out anything," Mikaela volunteered.

"Ok, thanks, Mikaela." Sam waited for Jazz to transform to car mode, then got in.

"Did you want to return to your home, Mikaela?" Bumblebee asked after they left.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'd better. In case someone comes by later."

"Okay." Bumblebee transformed and opened the passenger door for her.

"Thanks, Bee," she said, sliding into the passenger seat.

"You're welcome," he replied, and reminded her to buckle up before he drove off, a habit he'd picked up from when he'd driven Sam around.

"Ok, ok." Mikaela chuckled a little and complied. "Guess I won't be able to keep that promise I made to you today," she commented, flippantly.

"There is always the slight possibility that nothing will come of this," offered Bumblebee.

"But Ratchet's never wrong, huh?"

Bumblebee paused for a brief moment. "I recall one instance in which he was mistaken. He'd sensed that Decepticons were going to land on a planet we were visiting, but the path of a large comet had been altered for an unknown reason, and struck them."

"So the only reason he was wrong is because something bumped the comet?"

"...that was meant to be comforting," he said, ruefully.

"That's all right, Bee," she replied, patting the dashboard comfortingly. "Whatever Starscream's got planned, he'll get his ass kicked, just like before."

"Yes, he will," Bumblebee firmly agreed.

Mikaela smiled and changed the subject. "I'd really love to hear about all those other planets you've seen, when things have settled down again."

"I would enjoy that, too," he said, cheering up, and activated his holoform once they reached the highway leading into the city.

Mikaela listened to the radio for a few minutes, then spoke up again. "If it's okay with the others, I think I'd like to spend the next couple nights at your base."

"All right." He nodded. "You'll always be welcome there, Mikaela. I'll pick you up later tonight"

"Thanks, Bee." She rested her head against his shoulder during the rest of the drive to her house. "Well, time for put on a show for the nosy neighbors," Mikaela said, and kissed Bee's cheek. "See you tonight."

"Goodbye, Mikaela." He watched, amused, as she pretended to cough her head off on her way to her front door. It was a very convincing act.

_Damn, that hurt my throat. _The moment Mikaela made it inside, she drank some much-needed water before going to her room to pack some clothes.

* * *

_Please return to the base immediately._

That was so like Ratchet; simple and to the point. _And I drop everything and come running,_ Maggie thought, rubbing her forehead as she listened to the message for a second time before deleting it. At least he'd said 'please', even if he didn't give any hint on what the emergency might be. He'd sounded very distracted when she called him back, so she cut the conversation short. It was better to wait and ask him in person, anyway.

She turned off her phone, waited patiently for the plane to finally take off, then opened her laptop the moment it was safely on it's way back to California. Surfing the web was the best way to make the time go by faster. Before she knew it, the fasten seatbelt sign lit up. Fifteen minutes later the plane was back on the ground.

"Come on..." Maggie muttered, tapping her fingernails on the armrest, waiting for the signal to disembark, which always seems to take forever. After about ten minutes, everyone was allowed to get off the plane, but then it took almost twenty minutes for her one piece of luggage to show up on the carousel. "Bloody airlines can be so inefficient sometimes," she griped to herself as she finally made it outside.

She'd just started toward the parking area when a large black truck rolled up. Maggie jumped back onto the curb, watching as both passenger doors flew open before the truck had completely stopped. _Well, someone's in a hurry. _Thank God everyone else out here was too busy to notice the doors opening by themselves. "What _are_ you doing?"

"Get in."

"But I had my car looked at just last week. It runs fine!" Maggie exclaimed, walking over to Ironhide.

"Well, better safe than sorry, and we must go back to base now," he insisted.

"Fine, but I'm coming back here for it tomorrow." The engine gunned impatiently as she put her suitcase on the back seat. "You know, you can be really abrasive sometimes."

"Yeah, but you like it," he smugly observed.

_He really has the oddest brand of charm._ Maggie wrinkled her nose at him and climbed in. The doors slammed shut the second she was seated in the passenger seat. "---Hi to you, too."

"Glen Whitmann was not on your flight? And welcome home, Maggie," he added, scanning the people both outside and inside the airport terminal, searching for Glen.

"Thanks... And, no. My flight was full up, so he had to book the next one." Maggie looked at her watch. "His plane should be landing in about an hour or so."

Ironhide waited for two cars to go by, then drove off fast, passing several vehicles in front. Ignoring the honks directed at them, he sent a message to Ratchet over a private line, letting him know that Maggie had arrived safely.

She quickly put the seatbelt on. "Ok, you mind telling me why we're in such a rush?"

"There's trouble."

"Trouble..." Maggie repeated, a cold knot forming in her stomach. "What kind of trouble?"

"Decepticon trouble," was his grim reply.

"No..." she whispered, eyes widening in alarm.

"Yes."

Maggie swallowed hard. "--Starscream?"

"Yes," he confirmed, mildly annoyed with the city's ridiculous speed limit rule.

"He's not alone, is he?"

"We must assume that he's not."

_Ok, those were really dumb questions. _Maggie felt like smacking herself, and kept quiet during the ride back to the base. _They'll know how to deal with Starscream, and whoever else might be with him_, she told herself. In fact, Optimus probably already had a plan in mind, in case this were to happen.

* * *

_That is not Ironhide, _Ratchet idly noted, his optical sensors penetrating the dust cloud that formed a mile away, and opened a line to Optimus. _/We have an unexpected visitor./_

_/I'm on my way./_

Optimus, along with Jazz, joined him in front of the base, and all three watched a familiar-looking SUV approach.

/_Him again/_ Jazz grouched, arms crossing over his chest.

_/Yes.../ _Optimus watched as the vehicle skidded to a stop on the gravel. Simmons turned off the engine and got out. Judging by the man's expression, he was aware of the potential Decepticon threat. Humans did have very effective telescopes, thanks in no small part to Megatron himself, ironically enough. "How many?"

"So you already know.. Well, guess what? I am officially your unofficial go-between to the U.S government."

Jazz's mouth dropped open. "Primus... You've got to be kidding!"

"Why would they choose you?" Ratchet asked, blinking in confusion.

"Because I've had the most contact with you. Other than a group of teenagers and an Army Major, that is," Simmons said, and was obviously less than thrilled about it.

_He makes his assignment sound as if it's a punishment for something, _Optimus thought, irritated, and crossed his arms, echoing Jazz. "Secretary Keller knows of this?"

"Yes. But you can go ask him yourself, if you don't believe me."

"I will. Now, how many are coming?" Optimus repeated.

"Seventeen. E.T.A. is approximately seven hours. They're moving _real_ fast." Simmons glanced at Ratchet. "I don't suppose your Super-Sniffer can tell us anything about them? Who they are, what kind of weapons they've got?"

"No, I don't possess that particular ability." _Super Sniffer? Hmph. _Ratchet looked to his leader.

"Seventeen," Optimus echoed, startled by the number. How did Starscream manage to rally so many?

/_We've faced worse_./ Jazz sent to them.

/_Three-point-four to one odds aren't necessarily insurmountable_./ Ratchet pointed out. _/It would depend on which Decepticons Starscream is leading. A few of them are quite inept at fighting_./

Optimus rubbed the bridge of his nose. As optimistic as they were trying to be, there were still billions of human lives to consider.

"I've spoken with Major Lennox. He said he's working on getting his hands on weapons for our humans," Bumblebee announced as he came outside to join his friends, and then noticed the small human standing in front of them. "Oops."

"What?" Optimus shook his head emphatically. "No. We cannot let them put themselves in danger again."

"It was Sam's idea," Bumblebee told him, with a helpless shrug. "Jazz and I haven't been able to change theirs minds. Sam and Mikaela are determined to stay."

"Maybe you'll have better luck arguing with them," Jazz suggested, but didn't appear hopeful that Optimus would have much success, either.

"I'll try to convince them to leave." Optimus almost sighed, his processors whirring. _Stubborn humans... _he groused to himself, but did appreciate their unwavering loyalty.

"I think that since you're the reason those things coming, they should probably be armed, too," Simmons interrupted. "They might need those weapons, if something goes wrong."

_'Since you're the reason,' _Optimus lowered his head, guilt weighing even more heavily on him. It had been a grave error to linger on this world.

"As a matter of fact," Simmons continued, "that's what we're counting on."

"What do you mean?" Bumblebee asked, giving him a suspicious look. "You said 'if something goes wrong.' What are you up to?"

"Ok, here it goes: The first idea was to take out the Decepts the instant they land, assuming it's not near any populated areas. But since there's not much chance of them cooperating with that, Plan A was rejected."

"Yeah, they're not big on cooperation," remarked Jazz. "So what's Plan B?"

"Plan B is to basically offer up the Autobots, in exchange for them leaving Earth."

Simmons ignored the dark frowns they directed at him. "Relax, it'll just be a ruse. A nice remote area like this will be a good place for a sneak attack."

"Your plan is to lure them here to ambush them? That is extremely risky," Optimus stated.

"We're aware of that, but we want to avoid another all-out battle. Mission City was a real mess to clean up." Simmons grimaced at the memory.

"That was not our fault," Bumblebee said, glowering defensively.

"Did I say it was?" Simmons asked, one eyebrow raised. "Anyway, some bigwig in the White House came up with this plan, not me. Right now we're deleting every scrap of information we have on you from our hard drives, so they won't get anywhere that way again. They're gonna have to actually _talk _to us."

"Negotiating is also something the Decepticons are not well-known for," Ratchet remarked, thinking. The plan was very risky, as Optimus pointed out, but still...it might work. Possibly. "However, unlike Megatron, Starscream has rarely relied on brute force. He may at least listen to their proposal."

"Well, they won't have much choice, now, will they? And when they get here, our Air Force will be ready and waiting for them. Best case scenario is they'll all come to this base and we'll bomb the hell out of 'em. That's probably a little too much to hope for, but we'll at least be able to reduce their numbers and even up the playing field. We do know how to hurt them now. So... with a little luck, your guys might not have to fight at all."

"I can assume, then, that there is another abandoned military base that we can relocate to?" Optimus asked, his optics blinking thoughtfully.

"Yeah, there's one about seventy miles from here, even more remote than this one. I'll lead you there when you're ready," Simmons replied, then hesitated, thinking of a different place they could go to. _Hell with it, _he decided, disregarding orders to keep it a secret from the Autobots. They deserved to know the truth, and they would. But he had to get them there first. _Seeing's believing, after all. _"On second thought, scratch that. We're gonna go on a long road trip instead, to Kentucky."

"Kentucky, the fifteenth State?" Optimus was puzzled by Simmons' sudden change of plans. Unsure whether trusting this man would be wise, he looked to Ratchet for his opinion.

"Hmmm.." Ratchet's optics flickered in concentration. "I sense that there is indeed something there that may aid us."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they will. They're in what we call the Mammoth Cave. I'll tell you more when we reach it." Simmons went back to his SUV and grabbed a large black case from the back seat. "Let me know when you're ready to evacuate. I'll be monitoring the Decepts on my laptop," he told them, then went inside the building.

"Mammoth Cave," Optimus mused, retrieving information from his memory banks. "A large cave system, spanning over three hundred and fifty miles. Very well. That is where we shall go."

"Sounds cool," Jazz quipped. "Can't wait to see it."

"You would," Bumblebee said, and gave Jazz a friendly push as they went in to tell their humans about the imminent trip.

Optimus shook his head slightly at their antics, then turned to Ratchet. "You are certain?

"Yes, sir." He nodded. "Although I do wonder what exactly they are hiding in that cave."

Optimus nodded in return. "We'll find out shortly."

"If the Decepticons do evade this trap, they will hunt for us," Ratchet cautioned.

"Fortunately they won't know what alternate forms we have chosen." Optimus laid a hand on Ratchet's shoulder before going back in to speak to Sam and Mikaela.

Ratchet waited outside for Ironhide and Maggie, who arrived a few minutes later.

Maggie quickly got out, smiling up at him. "You summoned me, so here I am."

_/You did tell her about the Decepticons?/_ Ratchet asked Ironhide, perplexed by her cheerful demeanor.

Ironhide transformed before replying. _/Of course./_

_/Hm./ _"Yes, I did, Maggie, and now I would like you to leave again."

Maggie glanced over her shoulder at him as she retrieved her suitcase from the back seat. No big surprise there. It was the sensible thing to do, after all... She took a deep breath and turned around. "Really?"

Ratchet nodded, trying to discern what she was thinking, and used his most logical tone of voice. "You'll be safer elsewhere. The northern portion of this continent is an ideal choice."

"Sounds nice, but... I'm staying with you." She patted his foot as she walked by. "Thanks for asking, though, love."

_/I told you she wouldn't go, just like Sam and Mikaela/ _Ironhide felt the need to remind Ratchet as Maggie headed to the open door.

_/Yeah, yeah.../ _Ratchet grumbled at his know-it-all friend. _/Didn't hurt to try.../_

_/Right./_ Ironhide shrugged and went inside, with Ratchet right behind him.

"Can someone please explain why we're going to go all the way to Kentucky?" Maggie was asking when they entered the humans' living area.

"We're going there because Agent Simmons insists that we need to go there," Jazz answered, peering at Simmons, whose attention was focused on his laptop.

"Uh...Okay...I guess..." Sam said, as baffled as they were.

"So what excuse did you use to get out of school, Sam?" Mikaela asked.

"I told 'em Mojo had gotten hit by a car." Sam smiled a little. "I did a good job of freaking out; they couldn't send me home fast enough."

Jazz snickered. "I'd love to have seen that."

"I might've had my cell phone camera on..." Sam managed a brief grin, then let out a sigh. "I'll convince my parents to go visit relatives, in case The Plan gets screwed up somehow. What about your dad, Mikaela?"

"He's still at a halfway house," she replied, looking pointedly at Simmons.

"Fine, we'll have him moved. Anonymously," he told her, not looking away from the monitor.

"Good."

"We should destroy our computers, too," Maggie recommended. "I for one wouldn't want any Decepticon hacking into mine, even if it is getting blown up right after."

"Yeah, good idea." Sam nervously wiped his palms on his jeans.

"I'll take care of that," Ironhide predictably volunteered.

Bumblebee nodded. "I'll give Major Lennox new coordinates for a meeting, when he's gotten hold of some weapons."

"Ok, thanks," Mikaela said. "Pack light, everyone."

"You still insist on accompanying us to Kentucky?" Optimus felt compelled to ask them one more time, though he knew that their answer wasn't likely to have changed.

Sam gave him a crooked smile. "Sorry, Optimus, but you're stuck with us."

"We'd really rather be here with you, not hiding in some motel somewhere," Mikaela said.

Maggie nodded. "Definitely."

"Dammit," Simmons suddenly blurted out.

Optimus turned toward him. "What has happened?"

"E.T.A.'s two hours, fifteen minutes now. Damn things are speeding up." Simmons scowled. "Whatever you need to do, do it fast."

Jazz and Bumblebee moved back from the sofa and changed to their car forms, opening doors for Sam and Mikaela, who quickly jumped in. "We'll be back within thirty minutes," Jazz promised as he and Bumblebee rolled out, tires leaving skid marks on the concrete floor.

Maggie pulled out her cell phone and tried to call Glen again ; he should be getting off his plane soon. Or maybe right now -- his answering machine had been turned on, so she left a brief message, giving him a heads-up on the situation. _Better call him again in twenty, _she decided, in case he doesn't check his messages right away. "Can you tell where the Decepticons are going to land yet?" she asked Simmons, peeking over his shoulder.

"Somewhere on the West Coast. Maybe California, or Nevada...maybe even Arizona. They keep changing their trajectory, so we can't pinpoint a specific target area. Clever bastards..." A small explosion made them both jump and whirl around. Ironhide was standing in front of what used to be Mikaela's computer tower, with one of his laser cannons extended. "Overkill much?" Simmons complained.

Ironhide merely shrugged and moved on to Sam's computer next.

"Right... Well, I'd better get packed," Maggie said, and quickly left the living room to go stuff a few essentials into her tote bag, and to get away from the noise.

Ignoring the next three explosions, Simmons kept his eyes glued to the monitor, with Optimus and Ratchet now standing behind him. "...where're you heading, you bastards.." he muttered under his breath, eyed glued to the monitor. The 'meteors' continued wavering in their course, which was keeping their exact landing spots a guessing game until they enter the atmosphere.

Disgruntled with having nothing to do for now, Optimus left and returned to his own room, where he was finally able to contact Keller, after some rather firm insistence, via a video conference on his computer.

"Defense Secretary Keller," Optimus greeted, attempting to sound polite, but apparently failing.

"Optimus Prime. I would guess by your mood that Simmons has arrived there?" Keller asked. Leave it to that man to piss off the Autobot Leader.

"He has. May I ask why he, of all humans, was chosen, in light of his past actions?"

"Believe me, if it'd been strictly up to me, I'd have sent just about anyone else, even Banacek. I did argue against it, but my colleagues deemed Simmons to be the most qualified, despite that...unfortunate matter."

"I don't believe Bumblebee would describe his experience as 'unfortunate'," Optimus rumbled, resenting the man's apparent attempt to make light of what had occurred.

"I'm sorry, that was a poor choice of words," Keller hastily apologized, reminding himself to stop talking like a politician to the Autobots.

"Thank you." Optimus nodded acceptance, then asked outright, "Can we trust Agent Simmons?"

"I'm pretty sure you can, yes. He's not completely stupid, and he knows he's been put on a probation, of sorts. If he steps out of line, in any way, he's through. Now, we'll try to keep an eye on him, of course, but we'll also have to depend on you to tell us if he gives you any trouble."

"Thank you, Secretary Keller," Optimus replied, grateful for the assurance, and almost asked him about Mammoth Cave, but recalled that Keller hadn't initially know of the Hoover Dam project. It was highly probable that he was unaware of whatever is hidden in the cave as well. There was also the risk that, in asking, the wrong person would hear of it and interfere. He wished humans did not have so many opposing factions; it made everything quite complicated. "We will indeed inform you of any problems with Agent Simmons."

"You're welcome." Keller looked to his left, then stood. "Now, if you'll excuse me, we've got some unwelcome guests to prepare for."

"Of course, Secretary Keller, and good luck, as your people say," Optimus said, and ended the conference program. He would destroy his computer right before vacating the base. _Or perhaps I'll let Ironhide have the honors, _he thought, as he returned to the living room to wait for Jazz and Bumblebee's return, and watch the Decepticons' progress.


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

A/N. Well... This (stubborn) chapter's a bit longer than the previous ones, and has two OCs (and deaths) in it. Hope it turned out ok. -.-

* * *

"Ok, the ones that landed in Vegas are leaving the city," Simmons informed the Autobots via his cell phone, which they'd gone and linked themselves to, along with his computer.

The Hummer guy, Ratchet, was in front of his SUV, turning on his sirens and top lights each time they encountered heavy traffic, usually when they passed by small cities and towns. Bumblebee and Jazz were right behind him, usually side by side in the same lane. Behind them was Ironhide, with Optimus Prime at the very back. All of them had turned on those weird holographic drivers of theirs, except for Optimus, who usually didn't bother to use one. He was tall enough that he usually didn't need to anyway.

"Can you possibly get us a better view of these Decepticons, so we can identify them?" Ironhide requested, growing impatient with the blurry, long-range video they were seeing from a spy satellite, as well as Simmons' not-very-helpful running commentary.

"I'll see what I can do, but it'll take time. --what the hell!" Simmons jerked in surprise when his comp suddenly went crazy, official-looking web pages flashing across the screen, before the Vegas image returned, this time of a _much_ closer shot of the Decepticons. "Did you just hack into that satellite through my laptop?"

"Yeah, I did," Jazz answered, a grin evident in his tone. "So sue me."

"...I am gonna get into so much more trouble for this..." Simmons muttered. "So, who are we dealing with?"

Ratchet studied the images. "Thunderblast is one of them;.she's not one to ever turn your back on."

"The tallest one is Soundwave," Bumblebee added. "With the rest of his spies."

"Frenzy was one of his," Jazz told Sam.

"He'll be pissed, then," Mikaela remarked.

"That so?" Simmons' brow furrowed, then he shrugged.

"How many humans were slain in the city?" Optimus asked, dreading the answer.

Simmons made a quick phone call and relayed the question. "Eight dead at the zoo. Five of them were decapitated," he grimly told them, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "

"Over a dozen injured, some critically. More bodies have been found along Rancho Drive, no word on an exact number yet."

"Oh, no..." Maggie closed her eyes for a moment, hoping those poor people had at least died instantly, so they didn't suffer.

"...my god.." a horrified Mikaela whispered. "Who would do something like that?"

"Any number of Decepticons, I'm afraid," Bumblebee somberly replied, and put an arm around her.

"Jesus..." Sam muttered, swallowing convulsively. "Those bastards.."

"They'll pay for this, Sam. I promise," a very angry Jazz assured him.

"God, I hope so." Sam twisted around in his seat, staring worriedly at the now-silent Optimus. "This isn't your fault, Optimus. You gotta know that."

"You can't possibly be blaming yourself!" exclaimed Mikaela.

"_No one _could have predicted that they would have crash-landed there," Ratchet pointed out.

"Have you been able to contact Glen Whitman, Maggie?" Optimus asked, quickly changing the subject. At least a dozen deaths, he surmised, and it could get much, much worse, so easily...

"Not yet." Maggie looked out the window over at him. "His cell battery must've died. I left a message with his cousin, though. Glen'll probably go straight to him, to tell him all about the Expo."

"Yeah, probably," Jazz agreed. "Hang loose, guys. I'll zero in on those punks at the Hoover Dam."

"Thank you, Jazz," Optimus said, and fell silent again, waiting for more bad news he had a feeling was coming.

* * *

"So this is where Lord Megatron was held prisoner by the humans?" Shockwave studied the large stone structure from a nearby cliff as he waited patiently for the missing Decepticons to join them. Three of them had been knocked off course by that eternally reckless Seeker and crashed into a large city nearby.

"Yes," Starscream replied, annoyed by the delay Ramjet caused. "Inside, in a large room."

"It's a very simple and unimaginative design," Hook said, contemptuous of this example of human engineering.

Scrapper concurred. "Yes. It won't take long to reduce this Hoover Dam of theirs to a pile of rubble."

"We should show these creatures the proper way to build an obstruction!" declared Mixmaster.

"No, we've come to this planet to destroy," Scrapper patiently reminded him.

They turned around as Hardtop returned with Soundwave and his five remaining symbiotic partners. Only Rumble remained in robotic form. The other four, for whatever reason, had apparently decided to scan and copy biological life forms native to this world. Ravage had chosen a large feline as his alternate mode, while the other three opted for the forms of avian creatures.

"What did you crash into? A zoo?" a baffled Starscream asked.

"Do not ask," Soundwave growled, with an angry look at Ramjet, who was wisely keeping his distance from them.

"Claws useful!" Buzzsaw insisted, as he and the other two circled above Soundwave's head.

"They are," Ravage agreed, examining his own very sharp and red-stained ones. These will shred Autobot armor almost as easily as they have human flesh. The tail was also an effective weapon.

"That may be, but once we leave this world, you will delete those scans from your data banks," Soundwave instructed them.

"If you think they're strange, look what I found," Skywarp said, vastly amused as he dropped off Shrapnel and Thunderblast.

"What is that?" Starscream and Shockwave asked simultaneously.

"The humans call it a stag beetle, beetle," Shrapnel told them, scrambling over a large rock.

"That is a very inefficient alternate form," Shockwave criticized. He himself had not deigned to take one. Why hide from a race you were about to wipe out of existence?

"I like this form, form," protested Shrapnel, clacking his huge mandibles together.

"You didn't see the trail of human heads he left behind in that city, Shockwave," Thunderblast told him with a dark smile.

"I suppose you counted them?" Thundercracker asked sarcastically. The humans he'd seen when he'd flown through the city, looking for Ramjet, hardly seemed dangerous to him.

"Perhaps," she said, moving a little closer to Starscream, who glanced warily at her.

"Now that we're all finally here," Starscream began, casting one more glare at Ramjet before gesturing to Hoover Dam. "Destroy it.

"Wait." Soundwave stepped forward. "I think we should search the facility first. We may find information on where the Autobots are hiding." _And perhaps Frenzy, too._

"Yes, let's search it," Sixshot seconded. What he had seen of the humans so far had done little to impress him as well. Where were the Autobots?

"We should also learn more about these humans," Shockwave sided with them, simply to further irritate Starscream, since he seemed to want to get the structure's demolishing over with immediately. "I am wondering why their so-called military has not challenged us yet."

"So am I. They were described as being formidable..." Thundercracker said, glancing at Starscream.

"There may be some humans inside, inside," Shrapnel said eagerly.

"Very well," Starscream sullenly relented. "Be quick about it. The humans must be planning something. They are treacherous."

"Yes, quick, quick." Shrapnel was the first to set off for the Dam.

* * *

"Shockwave is here?!" Completely taken aback, Optimus swerved slightly on the road.

"What..who's Shockwave?" Sam asked. That name didn't sound good at all.

"An ice-cold piece of slag," Ironhide growled.

"He's that one right there, with the single optic," Jazz's holoform pointed to the largest of the projected images in front of Sam.

"He was Megatron's military commander. It's very surprising that he would leave Cybertron and come to Earth," Ratchet explained. "Shockwave is completely devoid of emotion, functioning on pure logic instead."

"It's like the All Spark was having a bad day when it created him," Jazz remarked.

Sam rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. "...so not good..."

"Wait a sec... Just who's in charge, then? Starscream or Shockwave?" asked Maggie.

"We honestly don't know at this point," Jazz replied.

"Better hope it's Starscream," stated Ironhide.

Optimus started to slow down. "We should deal with the Decepticon threat ourselves."

"We can't," Simmons argued. "No matter what goes down over there, you need to get to Kentucky. The sooner the better. Trust me"

"We wouldn't reach Hoover Dam before they leave it, sir," Bumblebee reasoned. "Especially with the Seekers there."

_/I know how difficult this must be for you, but I do feel it's best to follow Simmons' advice/_ Ratchet told Optimus over a private line.

_/Very well. And, yes, it is difficult/ _Optimus had to admit. This did give him a peculiar feeling of helplessness, to take orders instead of giving them, which he did _not_ much care for. "We shall continue to the Mammoth Cave," he decided, and picked up speed.

"I'll tell our mouthpiece to talk to Starscream, and no one else." Simmons got on the phone again. "And advise the Air Force to target those Seekers you told me about. Especially that teleporting one; he could be a big problem."

"Think this Shockwave might keep his mouth shut?" Mikaela asked, trying to stay positive.

"Maybe... It's not like he'll feel insulted," Bumblebee commented.

Ironhide snorted. "And we all know how vain Starscream is."

Optimus listened to them speculate further on Shockwave and Starscream while focusing his attention back on the satellite images. The Decepticons had entered Hoover Dam.

* * *

"This must be where the All Spark was hidden," Starscream said, entering a huge room, the largest in the facility.

"No humans, though, it seems. How disappointing," Thunderblast said, giving Shrapnel mandibles a pat of mock-sympathy, which he didn't appreciate. He snapped at her hand, hissing a warning.

"They appear to have evacuated shortly before our landing," Shockwave observed, examining some damaged, and crude-looking, scientific equipment.

"Search the rest of this facility," Starscream ordered. "You'll find all the information you need on the world on the humans' computers. Those are--"

"Yes, Lord Starscream," Skywarp interrupted and started for the large door, eager to leave this tomb-like room, then stopped and turned back around. "What do computers look like?"

Starscream gave him an annoyed look. "They look like this," he answered, tapping a fire-blackened computer tower with one finger. "This is a device the humans store information on, and usually use to access the Internet. Which I've already explained to you. Now go!"

Skywarp nodded and made his exit, followed by the others. Shrapnel scurried off after them, hoping to find an errant human or two, so he'd have more time to play with the soft-bodied creatures.

_/I can guess what you're thinking/_ Thunderblast sent to Starscream over a private line.

_/Is that so?/_

_/Of course. You're waiting for an opportunity to rid of yourself of Shockwave. Of course, he intends the same with you/_

_/How very insightful of you, Thunderblast/_ he said, sarcastically.

_/Careful../_ she said softly. _/As much as I would enjoy seeing how this little competition plays out, I doubt either one of you will prevail before we're finished with this wretched planet. Not without some...help./ _Thunderblast smiled wolfishly at him before sauntering off.

Starscream's optics narrowed in annoyance. This was one more complication he didn't need. She would turn around and make the same kind of offer to Shockwave, or even one of the other Decepticons, if he refuses. Thundercracker, for example, would probably jump at the chance._ I do know one way to deal with that scheming female, _he thought, surreptitiously watching Shockwave.

Shockwave inspected the damaged computer Starscream had pointed out, then straightened and opened a link to Soundwave. He should be able get this one operational again - it may contain useful information. /_Soundwave. Report back_./

/_I'll be there shortly, Commander Shockwave_./ Soundwave answered, drawn to one of the rooms at the back of the complex. Unlike most of the other doors, which his fellow Decepticons had to smash their way through, this one was large enough to allow him to enter unhindered. Unfortunately it was empty, save for a square container left atop a large steel table. All four of it's thick, glass-like sides, as well as it's top, were marred with numerous claw marks.

He walked over and placed a hand on it, his finely-tuned sensors picking up residual spark-energy. Yes...His friend had been confined in this tiny prison; there was even a lingering sense of rage, an echo of sorts. But where was Frenzy now? He called Ravage to him, over a private line.

"You found something?" Ravage asked, entering the room.

"Yes. Frenzy had been held prisoner here," Soundwave told him, pointing to the container. "I want you to track him."

Ravage nodded and leaped up onto the table, where he thoroughly inspected the box. "Frenzy was cold...frozen...humans used a powerful substance..." His olfactory sensors twitched, and he jumped back down to prowl around the room. "Frenzy was moved. Put into a larger box, filled with same substance. It's masking traces of him," he muttered, pacing to the door, then back to the table. "Sneaky humans hide him well. I cannot find trail."

"Very well.. Return to the others."

Ravage slunk out of the room, planning on just how he would kill the next humans he finds.

Soundwave turned away and surveyed the rest of the room. One of the walls consisted of empty shelves, curiously enough, with a few shards of broken glass scattered about. Something else must have been kept here.

He attempted to open a link to Frenzy, but was again met with complete silence. Wherever Frenzy was now, he was either still offline, and hopefully recharging, or he had been terminated. If the latter was the case, then he would personally hunt down and kill all of the humans responsible. Soundwave glared at the detestable container, destroying it before leaving the room.

/_There is a large aerial vehicle approaching/ Dirge reported to them all, sounding decidedly bored with guard duty. /It does not appear to have weapons. Orders?/_

/_Do nothing, Dirge_/ Starscream replied, before Shockwave had a chance to interfere yet again. His own audio sensors now picked up the sound of a helicopter.

"Shall I deal with them?" Thunderblast asked, eager for her own chance to kill humans.

Ravage also jumped at the chance. "Let me!"

Hardtop frowned as the humming noise grew louder. "Do they not know the meaning of stealth?"

"This is peculiar," Shockwave pointed out. "Perhaps it is not a battle they are seeking?"

"If they don't wish to fight, then they must want something from us," pondered Thundercracker.

Starscream turned to Ravage. "Bring the humans here, Ravage. Intact."

"Yes, Lord Starscream," Ravage said, his red optics gleaming, nodding to Soundwave before bounding off. Once outside, he focused his sensors on the large black aerial vehicle, and the conversation taking place inside.

_"There's something coming out now, Agent Morgan," the one with the helmet said. "It looks like a... What the hell is a big cat doing here??"_

_"That's one of the smaller ones, in disguise, according to my latest report. It might be a scout."_

_"You're kidding, right?"_

_"I wish. Most of the aliens are still in a humanoid form, and they're about ten times the size of this one." The passenger, Agent Morgan, tugged on something around his neck, looking very nervous. "Okay, here goes nothing..." _

Ravage trotted over to the vehicle as the door opened and the dark-clothed Agent Morgan jumped out. It held both hands up, apparently in supplication. "So...take me to your leader?" it asked, with a weak smile that lasted for all of four astro-seconds.

"Both come," Ravage growled out in the human's language.

"You mean..both of us?" Agent Morgan glanced back at the pilot.

The pilot shook his head. "I'm under orders to remain outside."

"You refuse?"

"It's not that he's refusing," Morgan quickly said, unnerved by the way the thing's red eyes glowed brighter. "He can't leave the helicopter unattended."

"Both!" Ravage sprang to the operator's side of the helicopter, front claws catching on seams and ripping the flimsy metal door off. Before the human had time to react he sank his claws into it's upper torso, wrenching it from it's seat.

"Stop!" Morgan yelled, blanching as the pilot screamed in agony, both from the bone-deep gouging and from the safety straps that sliced into his flesh before snapping.

Ravage spun around on his hind legs, flinging the human to the concrete surface, almost at the feet of the other one. "Both," he growled again, flexing his claws, waiting to see if they intended to defy him again.

They didn't.

"This structure may be deserted, but I sensed that there are numerous recording devices hidden in every room. We are being watched," Soundwave said, and finally gave up on the damaged computer tower. Human technology was immensely inferior to that of Cybertron. He'd scanned every undamaged computer in this facility, downloading a great deal of information on humans, but found nothing pertaining to Frenzy, or the Autobots.

"It matters not, Soundwave, " Shockwave replied. "The humans are doomed, whatever they do."

"We shall see what our visitor has to say first, " Starscream reminded him.

"Very well."

Ravage returned moments later with two human males. One of them was supporting the other, who was leaking blood from deep gashes to his chest and shoulder.

"I said 'intact'!" Starscream scowled.

"Vehicle's operator resisted," Ravage explained, using his tail to 'accidentally' knock the creatures' legs out from under them.

"He's bleeding to death!" the uninjured human shouted, removing an outer garment and tearing it into strips to try to bind the other's wounds.

"Worry more about yourself," Ravage growled back at it.

"Can you not control your drone, Soundwave?" asked Shockwave.

"Ravage..." Soundwave warned, after glaring at Shockwave for his drone remark. Ravage obediently came over, but continued watching the humans.

"And yet he is not, even though his efforts to save his companion are futile," Shockwave said, observing the pool of blood that was widening on the floor. The other human's apparent lack of self-preservation was perplexing to him.

Hook scanned the now-unconscious human, stating, "He will expire in approximately two to three cycles."

The human finally looked up, it's skin turning white at the sight of at least a dozen much larger Decepticons, three of them towering right above it. Visibly swallowing, it slowly rose to it's feet. So, despite it's effort to conceal it's fear, the human was well aware of the peril it was in, Shockwave noted. "Why have you come here?" he asked, in it's language.

"I--I'm Agent Tom Morgan. I'm authorized to speak only with the one called Starscream." He gave the dying pilot one last quick look. _Didn't even ask him his name. Dammit._

"Speak, then, Agent Tom Morgan," Starscream answered, stepping forward, appearing outwardly magnanimous.

"I'm here to...offer you a trade," Tom told the Decepticon leader. _Keep to the script...Just keep to the script, _he told himself.

"What sort of trade?" Thunderblast asked, leaning casually against a pillar.

"A simple one." He continued addressing the one called Starscream, as instructed. "My government is willing to provide you with the location of the Autobots, in exchange for you guarantee to leave this planet, and never return."

"You would betray your new allies so quickly?" Shockwave questioned, his single optic blinking in puzzlement.

"Starscream did say they are treacherous," Thunderblast pointed out.

Tom almost replied to the...female?, but kept his orders firmly in mind. It'd be really great to make it out of this meeting alive...

"Explain this lack of loyalty to us," ordered Starscream, mulling it over. Killing the Autobots might satisfy most of his Decepticons' need for revenge, and hasten a return to Cybertron. It wouldn't be enough for Ravage, though. That one might need to be eliminated, too.

"Loyalty has nothing to do with this." Tom put as much anger as he could muster into his voice in order to convince them. "We didn't want any of your kind on our planet in the first place. We also don't want any more part of this war of yours, which has already resulted on dozens of casualties, and since it's the Autobots you're after--"

"Is _that_ what you think, foolish human?" Ravage snarled, his optics glowing with malice. "When it was _your_ people that tortured our leader, Megatron?"

"_What?"_ Tom took a step back, surprised by the accusation. "We did _not_ torture him! Megatron had been kept fr--"

"Of course you would deny that to our faces," Thunderblast interrupted, crossing her arms and looking around as she switched to Cybertronian. "Should we believe that anything it says to us isn't a lie?"

"There may be a way to discover if this human is telling the truth," Shockwave said. The man seemed to blame the Autobots for the recent events, which was completely illogical to him. "Soundwave, you informed me of an ability you'd discovered: sensing the thoughts of others."

"What?" Starscream turned to Soundwave. "Is that true?"

Soundwave stared at Shockwave, startled. "That was hundreds of vorns ago, during my travels. I've only attempted it twice, on species I'd discovered who were partly robotic," he said, defensively. "My success was limited."

"Do you agree to our terms?" Tom boldly spoke up, and hoped he wasn't about to get stomped on by a pissed-off alien robot. Instead, they ignored him, which made him even more nervous. They must be discussing his proposition among themselves, and coming up some kind of counter-offer. Yeah, that had to be it...

"Meaning that it did work, to some extent," Hook concluded.

"There is, then, a slim chance that you might also succeed with a purely organic creature," Shockwave coldly stated, his optic fixed on Soundwave. "We needed a solution to our dilemma. _I _have provided a possible one."

Soundwave stayed silent, growing aggravated with both of them. Shockwave had little real interest in the experiment's results; his goal was to make Starscream look inadequate as leader.

"Yes, do try," Hook requested, curious.

"I want the Autobots," Sixshot reminded them.

"I'd like to see a demonstration of his new talent, too," added Thunderblast, observing Soundwave's discomfort.

Starscream nodded, also curious, despite it being Shockwave's idea. "Proceed, Soundwave. Find out the location of the Autobots."

"...yes, Lord Starscream..." His processors grinding with resentment, Soundwave reviewed a map of the human brain, which he'd found on the Internet. He flexed his hand, activating one of his external sensors.

Tom watched as the giant robots continued to converse in their own strange language. Their expressions were a hell of a lot harder to read than a human's, but he could tell that two of them definitely weren't happy about something. He had the distinct feeling that this meeting had been rapidly going south almost from the moment it started. Suddenly one of them looked back down at him, and a thin, sharp-looking metal spike emerged from it's wrist. _What the fuck?! _Tom's brave front finally evaporated. He turned and made a break for the nearest door.

"Stop the human, Ravage," Soundwave ordered. "Bring it back."

Snarling, Ravage leaped after the human, catching up with it well before it reached the door and raking his claws down it's back. It fell, screaming and kicking it's legs out at him.

"Alive would be preferable," Starscream sardonically remarked.

Ravage made a snorting sound, but obeyed, snagging the human's garments to drag it back to Soundwave.

"Stop!" Tom shouted, kicking wildly now as the Decepticon with the spike picked him up, pinning his arms to his sides. "You can't do this!"

Soundwave ignored Agent Tom Morgan's struggles and placed the tip of the sensor against it's head, just behind an ear, judging this area to be the best point of entry. He considered attempting to run a deep scan, but humans were far less developed than the other species he'd previously encountered. The more direct approach was required, and he did wish to keep his contact with it's mind as brief as possible. "Where are the Autobots?" he inquired, at the same time driving the sensor in.

What made this quite difficult was how disjointed the human's thoughts were. A reaction to the pain, Soundwave had to assume. He only had a few astro-seconds to attempt to process them. Agent Tom Morgan convulsed twice, then went still. "The human has expired," Soundwave told the others, withdrawing his sensor and dropping it's body in distaste.

"That was interesting," Thunderblast mused, looking down at the human. "Somewhat messy, but interesting."

"Revolting, you mean," Thundercracker muttered to himself, turning away from the crumpled body.

"Well?" Starscream demanded.

"Did you learn the location of the Autobots?" asked Shockwave.

Soundwave almost said 'no', just to spite them. "Yes. There seems to be two locations that the Autobots are at."

"Two locations?" Starscream repeated. "Before I left Earth they'd been given only one."

"Perhaps more stray Autobots have come here," Shockwave speculated. "Two teams must be sent."

"Obviously, but as our new leader, _I _will choose who to send," Starscream reminded him.

Disgusted, Soundwave cleansed his sensor before retracting it back into his arm. This power struggle between those two had better end soon, or someone will have to end it for them. "Orders, Lord Starscream?"

"You and Sixshot will investigate the closest base. Thrust, Thunderblast and Shrapnel will go to the other one. Give them the coordinates. Go immediately, and be cautious; the humans have seen what just occurred here."

"If the Autobots are there, we'll bring you their spark casings as mementos," Thunderblast said, smiling at Starscream before following the others outside.

* * *

"What the hell was that?!" Simmons demanded. "Did you guys know he could do that??"

"No, we did not," Optimus answered, appalled and saddened by the humans' deaths.

"...I think I'm gonna be sick..." Sam groaned.

Jazz immediately skidded to a halt on the side of the road and popped open the door for Sam to get out. "I'm so gonna bust a cap in his aft!" he vowed.

"Get in line," Ironhide growled, pulling over along with the others.

"I...would never have thought that was possible," Ratchet murmured, stunned.

"This is a great time to find out! And he wasn't even supposed to know about the second base," Simmons added, and felt like throwing both phone and laptop out the window. "Somebody's got a damn big mouth..."

"God...I need some air. _Now!_" Mikaela opened the hastily unlocked door and hopped out, taking deep breaths.

"Mikaela." Bumblebee shifted his holoform to her side. "Are you all right?"

"--At this moment?" Mikaela shook her head, turned and hugged him. She'd managed to keep her breakfast from coming back up, but it was a close call. "--Jazz has the right idea..." she said in a low voice.

"Absolutely," Bumblebee agreed completely as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Maggie? Are you also ill?" Ironhide asked, disturbed by Sam's vomiting. That can't be good; fluids belonged inside, not out.

Ratchet turned to her; she looked far too pale. "Maggie?"

"I'm okay...I just need a minute.." Maggie kept her eyes closed a moment longer, trying to banish those horrible images from her mind. _God, those things will stop at nothing_... She opened her eyes and looked out at Sam, who'd straightened up now and was wiping his mouth. "I'll be right back, Ratch'."

"All right." He opened the door for her, watching all three humans in concern, and running a scan on Sam.

"Okay... They might have found out about the trap, so we'll have to target both bases now." Simmons got on the phone to confirm the obvious. Taking out a third of those things was better than nothing.

"Sam? I've got mouthwash and a bottle of water.." Maggie said, fishing them out of her bag.

"Thank you!" Sam gratefully took them and rinsed out his mouth.

"You alright, Sam?" Jazz's worried-looking holo joined them.

"I think so. Thanks, Maggie." Handing the mouthwash back to her, Sam slowly sipped the water and leaned against Jazz for support, who put an arm around him.

"You're welcome." Maggie stuffed the bottle back in her bag, then almost jumped out of her skin. Ironhide, deciding that he should follow Bumblebee and Jazz's example, activated his own holo right in front of her and hugged her.

He frowned at the odd squeaky noise she made. "You don't wish comforting?" Ironhide asked, puzzled. It is how humans respond under these circumstances, after all.

"I think it was the 'right-out-of-thin-air' part that spooked her, Ironhide," Bumblebee helpfully pointed out.

"Oh...Sorry."

"He's just got no finesse, period," Jazz said, matter-of-factly.

"He..uh..just doesn't like to waste any time," Maggie defended him, loosening the death grip she had on her bag.

"Typical male," Mikaela said dryly, then shook her head. _Weird, the way we can joke at a time like this... _She cleared her throat."We'd, um, we'd better press on, or we'll be late hooking up with Will."

"Yeah, right." Sam nodded. Will Lennox had better have a _lot_ of guns for them. Big ones.7

"Thank you.." Maggie whispered, hugging Ironhide back. Finesse or not, she appreciated the gesture.

_/They'll require sustenance within five hours, Optimus/ _Ratchet informed him, after finishing his scans._ /Especially Sam./_

_/We'll stop in one of the larger cities, when it becomes necessary/ _he replied. _/We'll be less conspicuous./_

"Dammit! Can this day get any worse?" Simmons demanded, of no one in particular.

"What is it?" Optimus asked, turning his attention back to their 'guide'.

"Someone, a civilian, just drove up to your old base."

"What?!" Maggie whirled around. _Oh, no... _"Who?"

Simmons paused a moment, then delivered the news. "It's Glen Whitmann."

* * *

_I was splurgin'  
but when I get my car back  
activate it, I'm back to Vegas cause  
I always had a passion for flashin'  
Before I had it, I closed my eyes and imagine_

Glen waited until the song ended before turning off his car. "Yeah! Kanye's da man!" He grabbed his brand new cell phone, jumped out and jogged into the building. "Yo, peeps!"

_That's funny, _Glen thought when no one answered. There was always _somebody _here. He went out back to the pool, in case everyone was out there. No dice. He shrugged and went back in, to the living room to raid the fridge. "What the hell?!" he hollered, staring in shock at what was left of the computers.

_Now this is just way too much! _Glen pulled out his cell phone and dialed Maggie's number.

She answered on the first ring.

_"Glen!"_

"Hey, Maggie, what the hell's goin' on? Ain't nobody here. All our comps are junked! Did Ironhide run out of trees to blow up?" he asked in a rush, going for a much-needed soda fix. "And can you believe it? Somebody swiped my phone at the airport! Had to run all over town to find a good new one. I need Jazz to pimp it out for me. Where are you guys, anyway? Oh, man... Why's the fridge empty?"

_"Glen, just listen to me! You have to get out of there!"_

"So...you're acquainted with the Autobots?" a new voice spoke from the doorway.

_"Glen!!"_

"Uhh... Hang on a sec, Mags," Glen slowly turned around and lowered the phone. "Who are you?" he asked the purple...Autobot?

"My name is Thunderblast. And this..is Shrapnel." Thunderblast stepped side to let Shrapnel enter.

"What the--!" Glen backed up several feet when a giant, scary-looking beetle came into the room.. "Keep that thing away from me!"

"I don't think I will," Thunderblast drawled. "You see, he's been very eager to find another human to play with, and you are going to tell us_ everything_ you know about the Autobots."

_Holy crap. _Glen froze in terror as the beetle-thing stalked toward him, gnashing it's huge mandibles.

* * *

"_Glen!_" Maggie almost dropped the phone as two other, louder, voices were heard now.

_"I don't know nothin'!" Glen insisted. "I'm just a sidekick...I--I clean their pool!"_

_"Hmm.. Now I wonder why I don't believe that. Shrapnel?"_

"Aww, man...Not Glen..." Jazz muttered, shaking his head in denial. _Slag it all. Is there some cosmic conspiracy going on here? _

"No...No, no, no. We gotta go back!" Sam demanded, looking around at everyone. "We gotta help him!"

"We'd never get there in time," Ironhide stated in a grim, angry voice, arms tightening around Maggie when she started to struggle.

_"I think what it needs is proper incentive, incentive."_

"You've got to do something!" Maggie futilely tried to pry herself loose from Ironhide's grip. This _can't _be happening. Not Glen!

_"Then by all means, give it some."_

"What about the Air Force?" Mikaela looked frantically over at Simmons, who'd stayed in his SUV.

He shook his head, grimacing. "Negative. This wasn't planned as a search-and-rescue mission."

_"No, wait! I'll tell ya whatever you wanna know! Wait, wait! No! Not my arm! Noo!"_

Mikaela clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening in horror. "Oh, no..."

"...shit..." Sam fought back another wave of nausea, turning away, and Jazz put both arms around him this time. The boy's face had turned an unhealthy color again, prompting Ratchet to run another scan on him, as well as Maggie and Mikaela.

"Ironhide, please.." Optimus spoke quietly; no one should have to hear what was about to happen.

"Yeah..." Ironhide plucked the phone from Maggie's hand and crushed it, wishing it was Shrapnel's head.

"They're going to kill him!" she yelled, fists pounding on Ironhide's chest. _How the hell do they manage to stay so bloody calm??_

_/A little help over __**here**__, Ratchet?/ _Ironhide requested, having no idea what else he could possibly do for their distraught mate.

_/Yes, of course. Sorry./_ Contrite, Ratchet quickly shifted his holo over to them and embraced Maggie when Ironhide released her.

"There must be _something_ you can do!" Maggie desperately appealed to Optimus. "_Please!_"

"I am sorry, Maggie. We cannot save him," he said, deeply regretful.

She made a small, strangled sound and buried her face against Ratchet's shoulder, shuddering. "It's too late..." he murmured, rubbing her back in an effort to calm her; her heart was beating alarmingly fast.

Maggie squeezed her eyes shut, gulping down several deep breaths in an effort to get control of herself, and trying not to think of what Glen was going through this very moment. _Oh, God... _She jerked her head around and yelled over at Simmons. "Tell the Air Force to attack the base _now_! Don't wait one more second!"

"Right. I'm on it." He immediately got back on the phone and followed her order.

"I'm so sorry, Maggie," Mikaela said with a heavy, dejected sigh. This was so damn unfair! Glen never hurt anyone in his life. Bumblebee echoed her sigh, circling his arms around her waist.

"We will miss him," Optimus stated, in a low, respectful voice.

Sam bowed his head. "Rest in peace, Glen."

Maggie watched them take a moment of silence, feeling strangely disconnected from everything now. This must be what Glen meant by shutting down... She gave herself a mental shake and held onto Ratchet tightly. After another minute she drew back a little and turned around, wiping away tears. "We should get...back on the road."

"Are you certain you're ready to continue on?" Optimus asked, not wanting to put more stress on her, or the others.

"I..." Maggie wiped her eyes again and looked over at him. "I'm sure."

"Me, too," Sam said, swallowing past the lump in his throat, and wanting to get as far away from California as possible, fast. "We're close to Utah now, right?"

"Yeah," Ironhide answered. "About an hour away from our rendezvous point with Will, but he'd wait for us."

"We'll still make it there on schedule, if we keep going twice the speed limit," Jazz estimated.

"We really should get out of here..." Mikaela trailed off and looked nervously up at the sky, half-expecting one of those Seeker things to appear right above them.

"I have to agree," Ratchet said, not letting go of Maggie just yet. Her heart rate was slowing to a more normal level, which was good.

"All right. Everyone, roll out," Optimus ordered.

"Yes, sir." Bumblebee and Jazz both nodded and followed a miserable-looking Mikaela and Sam back to the cars.

Ratchet and Ironhide both helped an unresisting Maggie into the Hummer. She closed her eyes, leaning back in the seat. God, if only this horrible day could just be started over, like in the movies...

"You're exhausted," Ironhide stated, with a worried frown. "You should sleep." He nodded in emphasis before moving his holoform back into the truck.

"--he can be as bossy as you..." Maggie muttered, rubbing her forehead. How could this have happened? Glen was dead because of some petty thief? It just didn't seem real.

"He's concerned about you," Ratchet assured her. "He's also right. You need to recharge, after such a traumatic experience."

_Spoken like a true medic. _She stared numbly at the passing scenery. "I don't think I _can_ sleep right now."

Ratchet ran another quick scan on Maggie. "Your neck and shoulder muscles are very tense," he said, fretting over her. "I can help you with that."

"Fine.." Maggie sighed, letting him coax her up and to the back of the vehicle. Now that he mentioned it, her shoulders were starting to ache. Might as well take him up on his offer. "What did you have in mind?"

"I've studied all styles of massages," he told her. "They have much therapeutic value to humans."

"That's certainly true," she said, managing a fleeting smile. "I'd like that, thank you."

"You're welcome." Ratchet waited for her to lie down on the cot.

Maggie sat down to remove her shirt, wincing a little in the process, then stretched out on her stomach. He immediately started on her right shoulder, which bothered her the most. She let out a deep sigh; Ratchet knew just how much pressure to apply, and where, making her almost melt under his hands. He also seemed to pause every few seconds -- talking to the others about the base attack, she realized, with a flash of rage. "I hope they get blown to _pieces!_"

"They will be," Ratchet said in a soothing voice, leaning down to kiss the back of her neck before working on that area next, rubbing more slowly.

"Good. " She rested her head on her arms and gazed out the back windows, seeing Optimus behind them now. _Everyone must've traded places in the convoy_, Maggie thought wearily, then closed her eyes and took Ironhide's advice.

Ratchet waited until she was completely relaxed, and sound asleep, before returning his holoform to the driver's seat.

_/We should not separate/ _Ironhide repeated. _/There's safety in numbers, as the humans say./_

_/Glen did know what disguises we're using./ _Jazz said in a subdued voice.

_/He would not have been able to tell the Decepticons where we are going./ _Ratchet paused briefly. _/I do not sense an immediate danger to us./_

_/Then we'll stay together, for now/ _Optimus decided. _/Keep on the alert for Seekers./_

A few minutes later they were crossing the border into Utah.


	5. Chapter 5

"This is a convenient arrangement their medic has," Thunderblast mused, looking around the makeshift medical bay. "He even provided a berth for his little toy."

"She ain't..no toy..." Glen uttered through clenched teeth, sweating bullets as he tightened the lanyard he'd managed to wrap around what was left of his right arm. _Hurts like a mutha!_

"What else could it be?" Thunderblast gave him an amused smile, which quickly turned threatening. "You have not, however, answered my question. What they do with their holoforms is of no concern to us."

"I want to play with their humans, humans," Shrapnel said, clacking his mandibles together.

"Yes..of course you do..." His quirk regarding these beings was starting to get tiresome. She stepped closer to the human, looming over it. "Where did they go?"

"Ok, look, I don't know!! I wasn't even here when they left! You got here before me!" Glen stopped to take a gasping breath, trying hard not to faint again. That damn bug thing already shocked him twice, to wake him back up.

"Hm..True," Thunderblast allowed. "But you must have seen what disguises they're using on this world, since you obviously know the Autobots _so_ well. Describe them."

"Uhh.." Glen gulped, tearing his eyes away from those huge, bloody jaws. "No. No, I--I've never seen 'em!"

"Shrapnel, take his other arm."

"No! No, no, wait! I'll tell ya! I'll tell ya!"

"Speak, then!" Thunderblast snapped at it. This was taking entirely too long.

"Ironhide..." Glen blurted out. "He...he changes into a..uh..a black truck. A big one!"

"Of which I'd seen at least ten in one city alone." She glared at the human. Apparently losing one limb wasn't enough incentive; it persisted in giving them useless information.

Thunderblast turned and nodded to Shrapnel. "Take one of it's legs this time."

"_Nooo__!_"

Shrapnel darted forward, knocking the human down when it tried to run.

_/Hurry!/_ Thrust sent to them, and sounded like he was working himself up into a panic. /_/There are eight enemy jets approaching at a fast rate./_

_So this base is the trap after all. _Thunderblast mused. She had started to wonder, since the humans hadn't struck they moment they'd arrived here. It'd certainly been no coincidence that Starscream assigned her to one of the most cowardly Decepticons the All Spark ever produced. _I'll be sure to settle this score with him later,_ she thought, then snapped at Thrust /_Wait for us, you fool! We're coming out./ _

"Leave it!" she growled at Shrapnel when he ignored the warning and snapped at the human's flailing legs, missing one by an inch. "We must go now!"

"Yes, yes.." Shrapnel reluctantly backed away, turned and followed her.

_They're gonna leave? Thank you, God..._ Feeling dizzy, Glen breathed a sigh of relief as he watched that giant beetle monster scuttle out the room. _...phone...gotta find my phone..._

Thunderblast paused outside the door and looked back at the human. "Glen was your name. Correct?"

"Uh...yeah..." _Wait a sec... Did she say...was? Oh...crap..._

Thunderblast casually aimed and fired a single missile.

* * *

Thrust jerked around at the explosion he heard inside the building. They were still tormenting that human? With several enemy jets coming towards the base from every direction? _/I'm not waiting another astro-second! You're on your own!/ _he told them as he transformed back into jet mode.

_/Wait, you fool!/ _Thunderblast ordered, as she and Shrapnel emerged from the back of the base just in time to see Thrust take off.

"Worthless slag, slag!," Shrapnel hissed, jaws clashing together in fury.

"Dead slag, now," Thunderblast said, watching with satisfaction as Thrust, flying rather erratically in his fear, evaded three missiles fired at him, only to blunder into the path of a fourth. It tore through his left wing, sending him crashing to the ground. Two more jets attacked, firing more missiles at the now-easy target. If he's simply flown straight upward, he'd have easily escaped -- the humans' jets weren't built to leave the atmosphere. She shrugged; he didn't matter.

"Good riddance, riddance!" Shrapnel declared.

"Yes, but they'll be after us next." Thunderblast started running as the jets turned and converged on the base. Several more missiles were launched, and the base exploded.

She stopped and looked around, then up at the jets overhead. There was nothing nearby to that might conceal them, what few trees she saw were bare of leaves. Even now she could see one of the jets' pilots was looking directly at her.

She went down on one knee and readied her cannon, determined to take down as many as she could.

"This way, way," Shrapnel called to her, using his huge jaws to burrow into the ground.

It definitely was _not_ the escape route she would have preferred, but Thunderblast wasn't in a position to be picky. She retracted her cannon and dove for the hole, just as more missiles rained down.

"Faster!" she ordered, hissing in pain as flames billowed into the tunnel behind her, grazing

her feet and lower legs. Shrapnel made a huffing sound, but complied, digging for another couple breems before stopping. More explosions were heard and the ground shook, as the humans tried to flush them out of their hiding place. Fortunately, Shrapnel had tunneled deep into the earth, and had made a few twists and turns to throw them off track.

Thunderblast shifted to a hunched sitting position, shining a light on her legs to inspect them. It won't take long -- just a few breems -- for her armor to self-repair. Once that was finished, she would contact Starscream for more reliable aerial transportation, which he had _better _send.

* * *

"Be careful," Sixshot growled to Lazerbeak, who flinched back.

"Stop frightening him and let him finish," Soundwave retorted, giving Sixshot a warning look. "The humans' weapons are quite effective against us; this will take time."

"...lucky shot..." grunted Sixshot, unwilling to admit he'd gotten over-confident against the clumsy human jets. He subsided and kept perfectly still this time, seated near the top of a rocky hillside he's chosen to camouflage their grey metal.

Lazerbeak repaired what he could of the damage to Sixshot's wings and back. Some of the wiring was scorched too badly to even attempt to reconnect. "Hook must be called," he told them, moving back from the large Seeker. "He make you fly again."

"I'm still grounded?" Sixshot turned, glaring at Lazerbeak.

"He is not a medic, as you well know," Soundwave sternly reminded him. "I've already sent a message to Hook; he is on his way here now, with Hardtop."

Sixshot grumbled and scanned the skies again for the remaining human jets, but saw none.

He'd destroyed five of them before _It_ happened, forcing him to retreat. "We still don't know where the Autobots are hiding," he said, not bothering to conceal his disappointment.

"No, we don't." Soundwave stood in silent contemplation for several astro-seconds, coming to a decision. "I am leaving Rumble and Ravage with you. They will help you in your hunt."

"What?" Sixshot looked around at him in surprise. "Where are you going?"

"There is something else that I need to find," Soundwave replied, and refused to say more on the subject.

"Starscream will not be pleased."

"The _opinions_ of Starscream, and Shockwave, are of no concern to me," Soundwave stated, gesturing to Lazerbeak, who transformed out of his robotic mode and flew back to him.

Sixshot tilted his head, then smirked, entertained by Soundwave's rebellion. "You'd better leave now, then. Hardtop will be here in two cycles."

"Thank you." Soundwave opened a panel in his chest armor to let Ravage and Rumble out. "Obey Sixshot," he ordered.

"We will obey," they both answered.

Ravage was none too pleased with being handed off to another, but if it gives him another chance to kill humans... He changed to his feline mode and sat down by Sixshot's feet.

"Farewell," Soundwave said, formally, before striding away at a quick pace.

Sixshot watched him disappear from sight while waiting for Hardtop and Hook to arrive.

* * *

"You ok, Sam?" Jazz asked again, for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I--I can't stop thinking about Glen..." Sam mumbled. _That could be happening to all of us right now._ It was probably an incredibly selfish thing to think, but he just couldn't help it. And after that nightmare he'd had...

"Don't go there," Jazz told him, as if he knew what Sam was thinking. "Nothing's gonna happen to you. I promise."

"Thanks." Sam grasped the holo's hand, getting a firm squeeze in return. "I really don't know what I'd do without you."

"Well, you'll never have to find out, if I've got anything to say about it."

Sam nervously chewed on his bottom lip a moment, then decided to just come right out with it. "I meant what I said, the other day. I...uh..I l-love you."

"Uh-huh..." Jazz said, processors humming as he thought hard about himself and Sam. In the beginning it'd just been a fun game, he had to admit, but it had gradually turned into something more. A _lot_ more. He hadn't even realized it, really, 'til now; it'd kinda snuck up on him. _Huh. This is a strange new experience. Feels pretty good. Great, actually._

_Stupid, stupid, stupid.. _Sam let go of Jazz's hand when he stayed silent for so long. What the hell was he expecting, anyway? This is Jazz he's with, after all. "It's ok. I get it. Just--forget I said anything."

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Jazz gave him a confused look. "I love you, too."

Sam sighed deeply, running a hand over his face. "You don't have to say that just to make me feel better."

"Hey, cut me some slack," Jazz objected. "This is a first time for me."

"Are you kidding?" Sam gaped, unable to believe his ears. "You mean...you've never been in love?"

"--don't think so..." Jazz shrugged.

"Never?" Sam had to ask again.

"I've had a few _really_ good friends back on Cybertron," offered Jazz, who was getting the feeling he'd done something wrong, but couldn't figure out what. "Does that count?"

"Oh, no. No, no. I didn't mean to make it sound like a bad thing. I'm just..surprised, that's all," Sam said, lamely. _Open mouth, insert foot time..._

"Okay.. And no, it's _not_ a _bad_ _thing_," Jazz said in a pouty tone, then winked at Sam, who couldn't help but laugh.

"Nope, not a bit," Sam agreed, leaning over and kissing Jazz, who eagerly kissed back. After a few seconds Sam pulled back, wanting to get a _lot_ closer, and feeling incredibly guilty about it, given the circumstances.

Jazz noticed Sam's change of expression. "I'm pretty sure Glen wouldn't want you to..stop functioning, if ya know what I mean," he said, serious now.

"Yeah, I do." Sam nodded. "I think I'll feel better once we meet up with Will, get some guns from him. A _lot_ of guns."

"Yep." Jazz nodded, too. "More weapons would be good."

"Okay, people. The Seeker at your old base is scrap now," Simmons said, delivering another update.

"What of Thunderblast and Shrapnel?" Ratchet asked, quietly, as he continued monitoring a still-sleeping Maggie.

"--suckers went underground. But our planes blasted the hell out of that area, so they should be dead, too. Or at least put out of commission." Simmons rubbed his jaw as another message came from his superiors, asking for his current location and, more importantly, destination.He'd turned on his answering machine when everyone all agreed to head to Kentucky with him. _Yeah, wouldn't you like to know?_ he thought, snarkily, and sent them a short text message, telling them that the situation was under control.

"...better be.." Ironhide growled.

"What happened at the other base?" Sam asked Simmons. "Please tell me Soundwave's dead, too!"

"Soundwave...is still unaccounted for."

"...shit.." Sam muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face. These were some damn scary Decepticons Starscream rounded up.

Simmons continued. "But the Seeker there was shot down; they're still trying to locate it and finish the job. What was it's name again?"

"Sixshot," Bumblebee supplied. "He's one of the worst of the Decepticons."

"I hope to God they find him, then," Mikaela said, wondering how any of them could possibly be worse than Shrapnel.

"The others will not remain at Hoover Dam for long now," Optimus warned.

Simmons nodded. "We're getting more fighters ready to send their way."

"Might not get there in time. Seekers are alot faster than your planes," Jazz pointed out.

"Yeah, we noticed that. Wish we'd had time to rig that place with bombs..." Simmons muttered, rubbing his jaw, trying to figure out where'd the Decepticons might go next. Mission City, maybe? It wasn't far from Hoover Dam.

"If there was the slightest chance it would work, I would suggest that we attempt to lure the the Decepticons away from Earth, but--"

"--but it is not just us they'd come here for," Ratchet finished for Optimus. "I sense an intense hatred in some of them towards humans."

"Yeah, 'cause they believe Megatron was tortured," Jazz said.

"Was he?" Bumblebee bluntly asked. "Simmons?"

"Of course not!" Simmons hesitated, shifting in his seat. "Well, not that I know of. He'd been kept frozen the whole time we had him, but.. Some of our earlier records were lost, so who knows?"

"Oh, great..." Mikaela groaned aloud. "So it could be true? God, you're an idiot."

"Now, look, young lady, I am _not_ taking the blame for everything!" Simmons declared, getting angry. "I've only been working for Sector Seven for twenty-two years."

"Ok...All right.. I'm sorry..." Mikaela grudgingly apologized. He did have a point there.

"You mean you used to. Sector Seven's history now," Sam was quick to remind him, smiling just a little as he remembered the celebrating when they'd all gotten that bit of news.

"Right..Yeah." Simmons didn't bother to correct the boy's naive misconception: The organization that was responsible for virtually all modern technology wouldn't be summarily shut down, especially on a knee-jerk reaction. Sector Seven had simply been reorganized. He looked down as he got another phone message. "Oh, hell."

"Do not tell us there's more bad news," Ironhide growled, loudly.

"If there is, ignorance is hardly a defense against it," Optimus said, trying to ignore the sinking feeling Simmons' latest exclamation gave him. "What is it, Simmons?"

"One of our satellites picked up ten more coming our way. ETA's about two hours."

"Ten?" Jazz repeated, almost bumping into Bumblebee in his surprise.

"This is a joke, right?" Sam asked, gripping Jazz's hand again, tighter.

"I wish." Simmons muttered. _..what I wouldn't give for a damned cigarette right now._

"Followers of Shockwave?" Ironhide guessed, gunning his engine angrily.

"Ratchet?" Optimus asked, hoping, but not expecting, a positive answer.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't sense anything about these newcomers," Ratchet admitted, unhappy with his latest failure.

"That's all right, Ratchet," Optimus said, almost sighing. "You have been preoccupied with the ones that have already landed."

"Yeah, so stop blaming yourself," Ironhide ordered his friend.

"There is the chance that they're not more Decepticons," Mikaela suggested, snuggling against Bumblebee when he put a reassuring arm around her.

"Well, we'll know for sure when they get here," Simmons remarked. "If they are...well, maybe we can give 'em another reason to chase after you."

"Let me guess.. You'll tell us when we reach that cave?" Sam said in a snide tone.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Well, there goes Hoover Dam," Mikaela announced, watching it crumble via the hologram of the satellite's view.

"Who didn't see that coming?" Ironhide grumbled.

"That is unfortunate," Bumblebee said genuinely sorry for it's destruction, even though he'd secretly despised that place for personal reasons.

"And there go the Decepts," Simmons added to the mound of bad news. "Hope the Air Force catches up with 'em soon..."

"Any idea where they're headed, Ratchet?" asked Jazz.

"I can't say for certain. Perhaps back to Las Vegas, to finish what they began..."

"We're nearly there," Optimus broke in, keeping his voice calm, as they passed a 'closed' sign for the next rest area. _Whatever is hidden in that cave had better be worth all of this, _he grimly thought, firmly quelling a slowly growing anger.

"Yes, sir," Bumblebee confirmed, engine revving with eagerness as they all drove around a barrier and pulled into the rest area. Major Lennox hadn't arrived yet, so they all parked and waited.

* * *

_/What do you mean, Soundwave is gone? Gone where?/_ Starscream angrily demanded.

_/He did not tell me his destination, Lord Starscream/_ Sixshot answered. _/He did leave Ravage behind, though, to help me locate the Autobots. We request permission to visit the other base to track them/_

Starscream opened another line. _/Soundwave! Report!/ _He waited a whole cycle, but received no reply, just blank silence. "That disobedient..."

"He will not answer me, either," Shockwave told him, perplexed by Soundwave's actions.

Seething at Soundwave's defection, Starscream answered Sixshot. _/Permission ganted, but bring Hook back here first. You will also inform me immediately, if you do locate the Autobots. Is that understood?/_

_/Yes, Lord Starscream. We're on our way back now./_

_/Good./_ Starscream abruptly closed the link, as Skywarp returned with Thunderblast and Shrapnel.

"Sorry we're late," Skywarp apologized, with a grin. "Had to dunk these two in a river."

Thunderblast shot Skywarp a scathing look, and Shrapnel hissed at him. "The humans must pay for this, this!"

"Since their extermination is the reason we have come here, perhaps we should start with Mission City. That was the site of _your _defeat, Starscream," Shockwave stated.

"No," Starscream said, reining in his temper and refusing to let Shockwave goad him this time. "Once Hardtop returns with the others, we shall target the largest human city on this side on the continent."

"That is the more _logical_ choice," Thunderblast said, glancing down at Shrapnel. "Millions of humans live there. Enough to satisfy you, I think."

"Yesss..let's go to Los Angeles, Angeles!"

"We will, afterwe destroy this dam," Starscream answered Shrapnel. "Scrapper's team has been eager for that task." /Everyone, outside. Now/ he sent.

Thunderblast pointedly ignored Skywarp, who was in close conference with Thundercracker and Ramjet, as she stormed out. No doubt he was telling them of the less-than-flattering state he'd found her in -- coated in soil. That humiliation was even more incentive to slaughter every last human on this miserable planet.

Angry with Seekers in general, she started to approach Shockwave for transportation to that city when Starscream stopped her. "You will fly with me," he told her.

_/Will I?/ _she said, removing his hand from her shoulder. _/Don't presume that I don't know you set me up to be killed by those humans./_

_/Are you admitting they were too much for you?/ _he asked, optics flickering over her form.

_/Of course not./_

"And I?" Shortround interrupted their private talk, looking very jealous.

"Of course." Thunderblast directed a smile at her sometimes-convenient pet, which seemed to mollify him, for now. The smile was quickly dropped as she turned back to Starscream.

_/Do not presume that I don't know your__** real**__ motive in sending me there with Thrust, of all Decepticons./_

_/I did, of course, suspect a trap at one of those two bases. But you should know that I prefer to have much better odds in my favor./ _Starscream replied, with a slight smirk.

_/And you should know that I always keep __**all**_ _of my options open./ _She deliberately glanced over at Shockwave, then at Thundercracker, before turning back to Starscream.

_/Naturally/_ he said, his tone mild now.

"Now..let's go to this Los Angeles," Thunderblast said aloud. "There are _many_ more humans to kill."

* * *

Fort Irwin was the name of this Army base, and unlike the previous two, it was very much inhabitated. Which made it exactly what Soundwave was looking for. He transformed back into the vehicle form he'd chosen -- something the humans call a Thrust SSC, according to the Website he'd scanned it from -- and sped across the desert towards the base.

He was approximately a mile away when the humans noticed him, and, assuming he was simply an unwanted sightseer, sent out two jeeps to intercept him. Each one was carrying three armed soldiers -- the leader shouted out for Soundwave to stop, and fired it's rifle in the air as a warning. Instead, Soundwave sped up, transforming just as he reached them. All six soldiers crouched down in their vehicles, aiming their weapons at him and firing.

In no mood to be delayed, Soundwave picked up the first jeep and forcefully slammed it, upside down, onto the other. He changed back to his alt mode and continued on to the base.

All of the inhabitants were alerted to the danger they were in, and ran back and forth between buildings. Some of them huddled together and fired at him, using the same ineffective weapons as the other soldiers -- the small projectiles barely dented his armor - while others were shouting for more powerful ones. A simple, powerful sonic pulse left all humans within eighty feet of him on the ground, clutching the sides of their heads.

Soundwave walked over fallen soldiers, looking about for the base's headquarters, where the leader would be. There it was; the building with multiple flags hanging from a tall narrow pole. He knocked the pole aside, grasped the sides of the roof and tore it off. Tossing it aside, he scanned the insignia of the cowering humans, locating the highest ranked one.

The human was huddled down behind a piece of furniture, a desk. Soundwave gave the desk a small flick with his forefinger, sending it and the human slamming into a wall. With the human securely pinned, he turned his attention to the computer, extending a sensor and accessing the tower. It took only a few astro-seconds to download everything still on the hard drive. Then a few more to scan through the information, for any kind of hint of Frenzy's fate. This might be a clue: something was transported, in secret and under heavy security, to a facility located in a place called Groom Lake.

Soundwave tossed the desk aside and grabbed up the human. "You are in command here, correct?" he asked in it's language.

"I..I'm Army Major--"

"Yes or no?" Soundwave demanded, squeezing a little and hearing faint popping noises coming from the human's sides.

"_Yes__!_"

Satisfied, for the moment, he turned and walked away from the building, closing his hand completely around the human before aiming another sonic pulse at more soldiers, who'd rushed to defend their leaders. Soundwave pulled open his chest armor, letting the restless Ratbat, Lazerbeak and Buzzsaw out to occupy themselves with the humans, while he took the Army commander out into the desert for interrogating. He let the human drop, then picked it up by one leg, letting it dangle several feet above the ground. "Where is Frenzy?"

"I--don't know...what you're...talking about!" it wheezed, having great difficulty in breathing now.

Soundwave responded by squeezing the human's leg, and it screamed. "Tell me everything you know, or I will crush _every _bone in your body," he promised. The human was begging now, twisting about in pain.

"_Stop! Please!_ I..don't know...that name! Maybe..if I knew...what it looked like??"

"This is Frenzy." He activated a small hologram of his friend in front of the human's eyes.

"_Yes! Yes, yes!_ I've seen it...read the report. Extremely hostile...alien robot...killed several people."

"Continue," Soundwave prompted, pinching it's leg again.

"_Agh_! We took it...and the other one.. to a research center...Groom Lake.. Then back to...Hoover Dam...after everything...calmed down..."

"The other one?" Soundwave repeated. "Which other one?"

"...don't know...It--it'd pretended to be...a police car."

_Barricade._ Was his reported destruction an outright lie, or an arrogant assumption by Starscream?

"Please...put me down...that's all I know! I swear!"

"I shall, after you answer the rest of my questions," Soundwave informed it, lifting it to optic level.

"Where are the Autobots now?"

"...don't know.. Last I heard...we'd lost contact...with them...could be anywhere.."

"What alternate forms are they using on this world?"

"--..their leader's a...big rig truck...red and blue...never saw the others.. You'll never find them!"

Annoyed by the human's sudden defiance, Soundwave dropped it into his other hand, then flung it away from him. It struck the ground with a dull thud and lay there, unmoving. After passing on what he learned of the Autobots to Sixshot, and calling Lazerbeak and the others back to him, he transformed to vehicle mode again and sped away.

* * *

"Can you or can you not find their trail?" Sixshot impatiently asked, watching Rumble kill the last of the uniformed humans they'd found when they reached the destroyed base.

"Fire faded it, but not enough to conceal from me," Ravage replied, haughtily, and bounded off across the desert. "Autobots went this direction."

"Finally." Sixshot changed back to his Cybertronian jet form and followed, letting Rumble ride with Hardtop this time.

_/Sixshot./_ Soundwave sent to him over a private line.

_/Soundwave? Where are you?/_

_/Optimus Prime is disguised as what the humans call a 'big rig truck'. A red and blue one./_

_/All right. Starscream is rather angry with your unauthorized mission, by the way/ _Sixshot told him.

_/--if I learn anything more about the Autobots, I'll let you know/ _Soundwave said, then closed the link.

_This is getting even more amusing,_ Sixshot thought, and relayed that small piece of information to Hardtop.

_/That is not much help. There must be many such trucks, for Prime to have chosen it/ _Hardtop commented.

_/Then we'll simply destroy every one we come across, until we find him and his followers/ _was Sixshot's solution as he landed a short distance away from Ravage, who'd stopped by the side of a wide road. Interstate Fifteen, according to a sign.

"Autobots go that way," Ravage said, pointing towards the East.

"Away from us?" Sixshot asked, surprised. He'd expected the Autobots to fight back, not flee. This was odd.

"Autobots go that way," Ravage repeated, impatient to get moving again.

"Then we'll go that way as well," Hardtop decided. "We may have difficulty finding them; they do have a headstart on us." He paused, retrieving a detailed map from his memory bank. "It will also take time: There are many lesser roads connected to this one. The Autobots may have taken one of them."

"We will not give up, however long it takes," Sixshot said, with cold determination.

"Not give up!" Ravage nodded, transforming back to robotic form and gripping a handhold on Hardtop's jet form as they took off, flying slowly as the followed the highway. They stopped at each Exit, letting Ravage out to investigate it before continuing on, searching for any and all blue and red trucks.

* * *

_/There are human jets right behind us, Lord Starscream/ _Thundercracker said, deliberately pointing out the obvious.

_/I can see that...thank you.../_

_/Why don't you say hello to them, Ramjet?/_ suggested Skywarp.

_/No--/_ Starscream began, as Ramjet made a sharp turn-around and flew straight at the lead human jet, crashing into it sideways. Starscream growled at Skywarp. _/Stop encouraging this behavior, Skywarp!/_

_/Are you damaged, Ramjet?/_ Thundercracker asked, slightly concerned by the fiery explosion. The other jets had taken evasive action, veering away from the collision. Dirge pursued two and destroyed them.

_/No, just got scraped._ _The metal these humans use is weak./_

_/If you're quite finished, the city is directly ahead of us/ _Shockwave told them.

_/It is quite large/_ Thundercracker observed.

_/Lots and lots of humans, humans/_ Shrapnel said, gnashing his jaws.

_/Yes... Spread out across the city. Leave no structure standing/_ Starscream ordered, leading the dive down into the center of Los Angeles, as the Air Force jets regrouped and chased after them.

_/Yes, Lord Starscream/ _replied Dirge, easily outmanuevering his three pursuing jets by flying low and criss-crossing down several streets. He suddenly stopped to drop off his two 'passengers', Hook and Long Haul, off on a rooftop, then sped off again, firing missiles and destroying the remaining two jets that were now in front of him.

A sharp turn and cut through an alley was all Thundercracker needed to shake off his pursuers. The first jet, trying to keep up with him, clipped it's wing against the corner of a building and went down. The other two jets circled above, trying to locate him again, then turned away, probably ordered to wait for reinforcements to arrive.

He hovered to let off Hook and Shortround. The latter immediately went searching for Thunderblast, while Hook headed off to join up with the rest of the Constructicons. Thundercracker took off again, and soon caught up with Skywarp and Ramjet.

They were playing with their pursuers; Ramjet would let each one lock their missiles on him, then Skywarp would teleport, reappearing directly above the human's jet. It gave him an excellent view of the shocked fear on the pilots' faces -- before giving the jet a hard bump, sending it crashing into the very buildings they were trying to protect.

The two Seekers then began targeting the tallest of the buildings with their own missiles. It didn't take long for them to make a contest of it; each one giving the other an update on how many buildings he's toppled.

_/Having fun?/_ Thundercracker asked, acidly.

_/Someone's in a foul mood/ _an unperturbed Skywarp remarked. _/How many have you brought down?/_

_/...none yet.../ _

_/None? What, are you waiting for Starscream to notice?/_

Ramjet spoke up. _/He's just making us do all the work./_

_/--go crash into a train/ _Thundercracker retorted.

_/Only if it's carrying humans/ _Ramjet answered, then banked towards the left, firing missiles at his eighth building.

More explosions erupted in other sections of the city, where Shockwave, Starscream and the others were. Thundercracker demolished two buildings himself, but quickly grew weary of it. Most of the humans were fleeing in a blind panic, while some others appeared frozen in place, simply screaming. Unfortunately for many of them, the buildings that Skywarp and Ramjet were stricking crumbled over onto them. Vehicles careened wildly through the streets, striking each other, and an occasional human on foot. These humans are so feeble and helpless, it's rather...pitiful.

Thundercracker changed out of jet mode as he landed atop one of the shorter buildings and perched there for awhile, contemplating the chaos below him.

* * *

"I thought you'd still be hanging onto Starscream."

Thunderblast's hands twitched at the peevish, jealous tone of Shortround's, and was briefly tempted to rid herself of him, permamently. One should never waste a resource, though, unless it becomes a liability. Right now he was merely an irritant. "He's in some other part of this city," she answered with marked indifference. "No doubt spying on Shockwave."

"You didn't offer to do that for him?" Shortround asked, still fuming over the attention she'd been paying to their new leader.

"No, I did not," Thunderblast answered, honestly. Spying had definitely not been what she'd offered. "I'm glad you're here, Shortround. I need help with something, and you're the _perfect_ choice."

"Help? With what?" Shortround quickly forget his ire; Thunderblast rarely admitted to needing assistance with anything.

She turned towards a large building a short distance away, the top of it just visible over the trees surrounding it. "With that. Human call it a Mall, but it has numerous doors, on all sides."

Shortround nodded in understanding. "You'd like me to seal them with plasma."

"Exactly. I would be _very _grateful if you would oblige me," Thunderblast said in a near-purr.

"I will expect to see proof of your gratitude..."

"Of course you will, and you shall. Before we leave this city. " She pried open one of his chest plates just enough to slip a hand inside, roughly scraping fingertips against the wiring inside. His appreciative groan made her smile. _Still so malleable... _A distant explosion drew her attention. Shockwave had chosen some sort of tower as his first target. The noise would soon be bringing the humans out of the Mall. "We must hurry. Start on the left side," Thunderblast instructed, quickly making her way towards the Mall.

Shortround dutifuly circled around the building, aiming a burst of plasma at each set of doors. Two sets of humans happened to be trying to exit at the time; their cries were loud and shrill, the brief astrosecond they lasted. He shrugged and finished with the last three exits. _/They're all sealed, Thunderblast./_

_/Excellent./_

He moved back from the building, hearing several missiles being fired into it. Her aim was perfect; the Mall immediately collapsed in on itself. Screams could be heard inside, under the loud rumbling. Then silence filled the air, occasionally interrupted by more screams and shouts, this time from humans who'd been outside, in the parking areas.

All in all, the building's destruction was accomplished very quickly and effectively. Shortround strode through the cloud of dust towards the front to congratulate Thunderblast, but she was nowhere to be seen now. _/Where are you?/ _he asked, his earlier suspicion returning.

_/To find more humans to kill, of course. The sooner we clear this this settlement, the sooner we can move on to the next one/ _she explained. _/If you happen to find another Mall, let me know. I quite enjoyed this one../_

_/I'll make a point of it, then./_

_/I'm sure you will/ _Thunderblast said, then closed the link and concentrated on locating Starscream.

* * *

"_What_ is_ that_?" Mixmaster demanded, optics flashing with outrage.

"A bridge, the humans call it," Scrapper informed him.

His expression changed from vexed to malicious. "Made with such inferior materials?? It will not last ten vorns! Are all bridges constructed like this one?"

Hook nodded. "Yes, they are."

"They offend me! We must destroy them all! Every last one!"

"Starscream did say 'nothing left standing', and the humans were using this bridge to try to flee," Scrapper said.

"We much destroy _every_ bridge! In _every_ city_!" _ranted Mixmaster. "They are a disgrace!"

"Yes, yes.. I will ask Lord Starscream," Scrapper told him. _/Lord Starscream?/_

_/Yes?/_

_/Mixmaster has taken a strong dislike to the humans' bridges. We request permission to destroy every one on this world./_

_/I'm sure he did/ _Starscream said, unsurprised. _/Very well, you may. When you're done here, there is another nearby city with many more bridges, called San Francisco. There is one bridge there that the humans are very proud of. It's quite long./_

_/Yes, Lord Starscream/ _Scrapper replied, then relayed that information to Mixmaster.

"Proud? Not for long!" Mixmaster led the group down to the bridge.

"This would be done faster if Bonecusher was with us, and we could combine properly," complained Scavenger as he walked through the liquid, water, to the far side of the bridge.

"Yes, but he's not, and we can't. Now get into position," ordered Scrapper, pacing his hands on one of the middle support beams.

"I'm ready," Long Haul said, pleased to be taking an active role in their new mission.

"Push, then!" Mixmaster emphasised by giving his beam a hard shove. It cracked easily and disintegrated. The others followed suit, and in just a few astro-seconds the bridge was falling over into the river, as did all the vehicles that had been crowded together on top of it.

"Not a very sound structure at all," Hook said, critically, as they walked back onto dry land. "Where are the other bridges located?"

"The nearest one is in this direction," Scrapper said, consulting a downloaded map of the city before striding off down a long street.

Mixmaster was right behind him, picking up and throwing some sort of emergency vehicle when it got too close to him. There were six more bridges to demolish here, then they would pay a visit to that larger one in San Francisco next.

* * *

"A glorious sight, isn't it?" Thunderblast asked, slowing walking up behind Starscream. The hilltop he'd landed on provided a perfect view of the flames that were spreading throughout the city below them.

"To some, I imagine," he answered, sounding disinterested, and distracted.

"But not to you?" She stalked closer, running a hand lightly across the much larger Decepticon's lower back, tracing the seams in his armor. He tensed, as usual, but didn't pull away from her this time. _Hmm.. This is promising, _Thunderblast mused, and decided to see just how far she could take it. "You should enjoy your first victory here," she added, as she worked her hand into a small gap between two metal plates.

Her fingers found a large group of wires, just above his left hip.

"Yesss..." A faint hiss escaped Starscream as he leaned back, ever so slightly.

_Very promising. _Thunderblast smiled, gripping the wires tighter before releasing them. "The first of _many_ victories."

As expected, he made a small sound of disappointment. "--Shockwave is still a threat to us.."

"'Us'? I'll take it that means you do want my help in eliminating him?" She stepped around to his front, fingers sliding in and around the crevices of his armor.

Starscream nodded slightly, a barely perceptible shudder running through his frame at her touch. "I do, if your offer is still--_available_."

"Yes, it's still available, and waiting," Thunderblast said in a low purr, reaching up and slowly pulling aside one of the plates, giving him plenty of opportunity to stop her, if he wished to. His optics did narrow a bit, but he made no objections, and even seemed to relax somewhat. _So he's not completely immune to me after all..._

"Your help would be.._appreciated," _he admitted, placing a hand against her back.

"I've no doubt of that," she said, a trifle conceited, and pushed her own hand inside.. "I should let you know, though, that I also prefer to have the odds in my favor." Thunderblast glanced about, making sure no other Decepticons were in their vicinity, then suddenly jabbed her hand in deeper, aiming for his processors. It effectively disrupted his motor functions, just enough to temporarily incapacitate him. Starscream obligingly fell over backwards, landing with a loud crash.

He wasn't completely immobile, though, and was able to lift his head enough to scowl at her. "You dare?!"

"I've normally only done this with self-righteous Autobots. But you're nearly as proud as they are; I simply couldn't resist." It would take a breem, possibly two, for him to self-repair, so she had a little time to play with him. Thunderblast smiled and knelt down, straddling his midsection. "It's that same pride that's keeping you from calling the others for help. Correct?"

He fumed silently for a moment, then asked. "What do you want?"

"I merely want to know what lies you've told us to bring us to this planet. However, there's no reason for this to be entirely unpleasant for you." She pulled open his chest plates and again slid her hands inside, stroking wires and cables in turn.

Starscream growled at her, anger giving way to pleasure, despite his determination to not give her the satisfaction of winning this little battle. Thunderblast was quite practiced at this, he had to admit. He deliberately turned his gaze away from her, to lure her into his trap...

"--am I boring you?" Thunderblast drawled, and withdrew her hands, pulling aside her own chest armor, then bending over him, just close enough for her spark to pulsate in response to his, teasing him.

Starscream looked back up at her then, optics dimming briefly as he prepared to counter her.

"What are-- No!" She'd started pull back from him when his spark suddenly surged outward, sending a deliciously painful jolt through her systems. It also overloaded them. Unable to prevent it, Thunderblast fell forward, and their sparks merged.

He immediately took advantage, slamming through Thunderblast's defenses and into her memories. It didn't take long for Starscream to find some interesting information to use against her. He smiled, now taking his time to peruse other memories of while she recovered. _Hmm.. _So she did force spark-mergings with a few Autobots, who most likely did not live for much longer afterwards. Of course, simple soldiers didn't appeal to Thunderblast. Only Autobots with high rankings interested her. He found himself delving further into those memories, skimming through them for one in particular.

Thunderblast slowly pushed herself upright again when Starscream finally withdrew, fingers leaving small dents in his armor as their sparks separated. When she'd tried to retaliate in kind, she was easily, almost casually, repelled. Someone's taught him very well how to protect himself. "You tricked me," she growled, glaring furiously down at him.

He smirked at her. "Did I?"

"I assumed you were inexperienced."

Starscream shrugged experimentally. His motor functions were fifty percent operational now. "I never claimed to be."

"True...That was a miscalculation on my part." A small smile crossed her face as she turned her gaze to his spark casing. "I'm impressed."

"Try," he taunted her. "I only need one asto-second to tell the others what you've done. How long do you think you'll last?"

Thunderblast glared again, then sat back. "_Do _you intend to tell them?"

"Only if you..displease me."

"Then I'll have to make a _concerted_ effort not to, Lord Starscream." _For now, _she silently added, reaching into his chest again, fingers pressing hard against that one clump of wiring.

"I'm certain you will..." He almost groaned and shifted beneath her, his spark flaring brighter. "I have sometimes wondered why there were so few females on Cybertron."

"I don't tolerate competition," Thunderblast coolly answered. "Was one of them yours, by any chance?"

"No."

"Ahh. I see." She nodded. "I am curious about your trick.. You learned it from Megatron?" His expression was blank for four astro-seconds, then he growled angrily and raised one arm. A cannon pressed against the side of her head.

"Ask me that again, and I _will_ kill you," Starscream said in a low, menacing voice.

"--then I won't ask again." Thunderblast waited until he'd lowered his arm before relaxing. It must have been Megatron, then, judging by his reaction. She wondered just what else had gone on between those two, then shrugged. It hardly mattered to her. "I must say," she began, removing her hands again and scraping her fingertips, hard, along the edges of his chest plates. "I rather enjoyed this little encounter of ours."

"Did I say it was over?" Optics gleaming, Starscream grabbed Thunderblast by the shoulders and yanked her back down against him.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N. This chapter is Autobot-centric. (First attempt to write a battle scene. Eh. Hope it turned out ok.)

Warning: Contains Ironhide/Maggie smut.

* * *

"Maggie."

"--No..." Maggie rolled onto her side, trying to ignore the hand on her shoulder.

"Yes. It's time to wake up."

She turned over the rest of the way and looked up, bleary-eyed, at Ratchet's holoform. "What?"

"It's time to wake up," he repeated. "How do you feel?"

"Hungover... I had the most horrible dream." Maggie rubbed at her eyes, yawned, and sat up.

"About Glen's death... It wasn't a dream," Ratchet somberly told her.

She stared at him for a second, then dropped her head in her hands. _Do __**not **__get hysterical again,_ Maggie sternly ordered herself, struggling to bury a slew of conflicting emotions. _Have got to stay calm. Like they do._

"Maggie?" Ratchet asked, watching her closely.

"I'm okay..." She took a deep, steadying breath, then looked back up, stone-faced. "Just tell me the Air Force killed those things."

He let out a sigh. "One Seeker is dead, but Thunderblast and Shrapnel escaped."

Maggie closed her eyes, fists clenching. There was more news that he hadn't told her yet. She could just tell. "--what else has happened while I was asleep."

"The Decepticons have attacked Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the Air Force jets has not had much success against Starscream and the remaining Seekers."

"Oh, of course," Maggie said, with a short, harsh laugh. "And just when things have been going so _well_ for us."

"There is some positive news." Ratchet adopted a conciliatory tone in answer to her obvious resentment. "The majority of the city's inhabitants apparently did have enough time to evacuate."

Maggie winced, feeling guilty for venting at him, and got up from cot. "I'm sorry," she said, hugging Ratchet, who felt a little stiff to her. "I'm not blaming you for what happened."

He hesitated briefly before hugging her back._ Humans do tend to have rapid mood changes_, he reminded himself. "I know."

"I'm really not," she repeated, and kissed him, to further convince him.

"Hmm..." Ratchet let himself enjoy the kiss for a few seconds before pulling away. "We've reached the rest area. Major Lennox should be here very soon," he told her, reverting to his all-business voice now.

"He'd better brings a _lot_ of guns," Maggie stated, that icy fury briefly returning, and she wrapped her arms around herself.

"You're chilled," he assumed, handing Maggie her shirt as he increased the temperature inside his Hummer mode.

"Just a little.. Thanks." She smiled at his fussing over her. "I did remember to pack my jacket," she added, pulling the tan jacket out of her tote bag.

Ratchet examined the thin material, then shook his head. "That won't do. It has been snowing recently at Mammoth Cave."

Maggie shrugged and stuffed the jacket back into the bag. "Well, I'll pick up something warmer along the way, then."

"We will be making a stop for you and the others, in approximately three hours," he estimated, then paused, his audio receptors picking up the sound of a certain vehicle approaching. "Major Lennox is half a mile away."

"Good!" Maggie grabbed her bag, quickly hopped out the back door and joined the others, who turned and looked at her.

"You ok, Maggie?" asked a concerned-looking Mikaela.

"Yes...fine.." she answered, uncomfortable with all the attention, and glanced around. Like most rest stops, this one was surrounded by lines of trees, making it a nice secluded spot for a weapons hand-off. --and now Sam looked like he was trying to think of something to say to her.

Fortunately, Will Lennox chose that moment to pull into the rest area. He parked his jeep, jumped out and marched over to them. "You mind telling me what the _hell_ you're doing here?"

Sam looked from him to the Autobots, who'd changed to their robotic forms and stood in the shade of some nearby trees, then back to Will again. "Waiting for you."

"Don't be a smartass," Will warned. "There was another base ready for you, where you'd be safe."

"Well, as it turns out, it wasn't so safe," Jazz retorted as he moved to stand behind Sam, matching Will's glower, and crossing his arms for extra measure.

Will took a step back and looked over at the silver Autobot. "What are you talking about?"

"The Decepticons learned of that second base and attacked it," Ratchet informed him.

"What?" Will exclaimed, startled. "I wasn't told about that."

"Big surprise there," Simmons snarkily remarked to him.

"What is the status of Los Angeles?" Optimus intervened, preventing an impeding face-off between Simmons and Lennox.

"It's bad." Will turned to Optimus, jaw clenching as he told them what he knew of the attack. "Practically all of the skyscrapers have been leveled. We don't know yet if they're gonna go after the outer parts of the city, or move on, but we're sending more F-22s. We've also kept the second attack out of the media."

"What second attack?" asked Maggie, nervously clasping her hands together.

"One of those things attacked Fort Irwin. Dozens of soldiers and civilians are deaf now, probably permanently. A few of them were..stepped on and crushed. Others have been severely maimed by what looked like two huge birds and a bat, according to witnesses. Those must belong to that Decepticon," Will surmised. "It also got it's hands on a Major General. His body was found outside the base, in the desert."

"Yeah. Soundwave, and his drones," growled Ironhide.

"Only three of them," Optimus noted. "He must have assigned the other two to other Decepticons."

"_Please _tell me you've got guns in the back of your jeep," Mikaela implored.

Will nodded to her. "Yes, but I've gotten orders to escort you to the nearest military base. Pronto."

"Sorry, no can do, Major," Simmons said, leaning against the side of his SUV.

"Was I asking you?" Will snapped back.

"Agent Simmons is directing us to a different location, Major Lennox," Optimus said, making it sound like a perfectly reasonable course of action.

"What location?"

Simmons shook his head. "Can't tell ya that."

Will stared at Simmons, then at Optimus. "You've_ got_ to be kidding me! You're actually listening to _this_ guy?"

"Will? The guns?" Mikaela asked again, getting a little tired of the verbal tennis game she, Sam and Maggie were watching.

"It's more like we're following Ratchet's instincts, Will," Bumblebee told him.

"But..after everything Simmons did to you?" Will shook his head in disbelief.. "This has gotta be a joke!"

"_Just give us the damn guns_!" Maggie suddenly yelled, losing her temper and getting in Will's face.

"Okay, okay. Jesus. Settle down." Will backed away, hands raised to ward her off. Everyone else was staring at her now.

"Maggie?" Ratchet came over to them, concerned by her outburst.

_Great, they must think I'm going bonkers. _"I...Hey!" Maggie squawked when Ratchet picked her up in one hand. "I'm fine!" she protested, sitting up a bit. "And would you please stop scanning me?"

"All right," he agreed, rubbing her back with his thumb instead, as he walked back over to Ironhide and Optimus, who were watching them.

"Thanks, Ratch'..." She laid her cheek against the warm metal; the tension was already ebbing from her body. It was hard to get mad at Ratchet, despite that 'bossy mode' of his. _So like a doctor..._

"You're not the only one who's having a really crappy day, Will, in case you didn't notice," Mikaela said, hands on hips.

"So quit giving us a hard time," added Sam, taking a cue from Jazz and crossing his arms.

"I know..I heard about Glen. I'm sorry," Will said, finally starting to get over his objections to Simmons' presence, and glanced towards Maggie, who made no reply. "We thought he'd hooked up with you."

Jazz nodded. "Yeah...and we thought he went to his cousin's place."

"We need to hurry, Will," urged Ironhide. "What weapons did you bring?"

"Right. They're in the back." Will led them over to his jeep. "I didn't bring a spare," he said, with a brief glance at Simmons.

Simmons shrugged. "That's cool. I brought my own," he said, and went to get it out from under the passenger seat of his SUV.

Maggie tapped on Ratchet's finger. "Could you put me down now, Ratch'?"

"Of course, Maggie." He lowered his hand for her to hop off and stand next to Mikaela, by Will's jeep.

"I'm sorry about biting your heads off," Will apologized again. "It's just...some part of me wishes I was there in L.A., fighting those things, crazy as it sounds."

"Hmph. Know the feeling," Ironhide said, fiddling with his cannons as he inspected the arsenal Will brought.

_As we all do, _Optimus thought, standing back as Major Lennox spent the next ten minutes showing Sam, Mikaela and Maggie how to use the M30 grenade launchers he'd been allowed to loan to them.

"They should try a few rounds with these. Make sure their aim's good," Ironhide suggested when Will was done.

Will nodded. "I brought some practice grenades for that."

"There just happens to be a large field behind this rest stop," Bumblebee told them. "I scouted it out while we were waiting. They can practice there."

"Okay, lead the way," Will said, getting some targets from his jeep.

Bumblebee nodded, staying close to Mikaela as they all walked around the restrooms.

"Hold on." Jazz suddenly stopped in his tracks, a deep frown forming as his sensors picked up on something in the atmosphere, high above them. "Seekers!

"How many?" Optimus asked, his faceguard immediately sliding into place.

"One, maybe two. Can't quite tell." Jazz crouched down, visor dropping to cover his optics.

"Get away from this building!" Ratchet ordered, and he and Ironhide covered the humans as they ran for the trees.

"Where?! Where is it??" Maggie leaned out from behind her tree, trying to spot the bastard.

"I don't see anything," Mikaela said, also staring hard at the clear blue sky.

"Are you su--" Sam started to ask when Ironhide shouted 'Incoming!'. They all ducked back behind the trees when a laser struck the restrooms building, setting it ablaze.

"We gotta get the ammo!" Will shouted, gesturing to his jeep.

"I'm on it!"

"Be careful!" Sam yelled after Jazz.

"--where is it?" Maggie asked again.

"That must be Hardtop," Bumblebee said, his cannon out and ready. "He likes to attack from long distances."

Mikaela looked up at Bee. "How long?"

"Up to seven thousand miles, which puts him out of reach of our cannons." Bumblebee turned his angry gaze back to the sky.

"He's attempting to distract us." Ratchet extended the range of his external sensors, trying to locate the second Seeker. "We can't stay here much longer. They'll have informed Starscream of our location."

"It's gonna be a little hard to leave, with that thing taking cheap shots at us!" Sam yelled as another laser from Hardtop struck, hitting the Visitors' Information kiosk this time.

"Here's all of it!" Jazz said, carefully returning with an armload of ammunition.

"Thanks!" Will replied, and they all quickly set to work arming the guns.

"We'll have to bring Hardtop to us, then." _This _was a threat that he could do something about, and would. Optimus determinedly strode across the parking area, stopping near the center of it. Out of all of them, he was the most tempting target for this particular Decepticon. "Ironhide, be ready."

"I'm always ready." He stayed under the cover of the trees, taking up a position five yards from Optimus.

"Optimus!" Jazz started forward to help them, and was waved back by his leader.

"The other Seeker can't be far away," Optimus reminded him. "Stay on guard for him."

"Jazz! We can't let him--Oof!" Something slammed into Sam's back when he stepped away from his tree, sending him flying. "Agh!" he yelled, feeling sharp claws sink into his shoulders as he landed face-down on the ground. "Help!"

"Get off him!" Jazz slammed his shield into the Decepticon, knocking it away from Sam. It _would_ be Ravage, that sneaky piece of scrap! He made a grab for it, but Ravage twisted out of his hands, leaving claws marks on his arms.

"Look out!" Mikaela shouted when another of those things burst out from behind the trees to her right. It looked a lot like the one she'd chopped up months ago, but was a lot bigger. Half as tall as Bee, at least. She took careful aim and fired as it lunged at Jazz's back. One grenade struck it in the head, the other two in it's chest when it spun around. It fell, dead, at Jazz's heels. _One down_, Mikaela thought, with grim satisfaction.

"Thanks, 'kae," Jazz said, shoving Rumble away with his foot before putting himself between them and Ravage, who backed away. "C'mon, puss."

Ravage ignored the Autobot's taunt, giving his dead partner a brief glance, then glared hatefully at Mikaela.

"It's Sixshot!" Ratchet gave the alert moments before Sixshot landed and transformed to robotic mode between the two burning buildings. The Decepticon looked surprised to see several humans with the Autobots.

"Sam? You okay?" Will yelled as he, Simmons, Bumblebee and Ratchet fired away at the huge Decepticon. It must have tougher armor than the other Decepticons he'd fought. Except for the usual showers of sparks, their shots weren't having much affect on it so far, but they had to keep it occupied. Keep it from noticing what Optimus and Ironhide.

"I'm ok.. It's...just a...scratch..." Sam bit back a groan of pain as he scrambled to his feet and grabbed the gun he'd dropped. A worried Jazz was hovering over him.

/Ratchet, get over here! Sam's hurt!/ Jazz sent to him.

"I'm ok, Jazz, really. Now where's that damned cat?!" Sam demanded, pissed off at being jumped from behind.

"Over there!" Mikaela pointed to his right, and they all took aim at Ravage, who evaded their shots, darting back into the trees.

"Dammit!" Maggie swore when it got away. "It's too fast!"

"...little slagger.. Leave him to me. Take cover by Will's jeep," Jazz said, after reassuring himself that Sam wasn't badly injured, and headed into the trees after the drone. _..gonna rip him apart with my own hands!_

Sixshot tore out a large section of wall from the larger building and threw it at the annoying humans to scatter them, before returning the Autobots' fire. One concussion blast just grazed Ratchet's shoulder, but another made a more direct hit, striking Bumblebee in his right side.

Optimus and a twitchy Ironhide listened to the battle behind them, but kept their attention on the sky. Hardtop had to be brought down first, before they could aid their friends.

"Bee!" Mikaela yelled, seeing him crash to the ground out of her corner of her eye, and turned to shoot at Sixshot. That got it's attention, giving Ratchet a moment to check on Bee's condition. The bad news was that the Decepticon was now aiming at her, Sam and Maggie. _Uh-oh... "__**Move!**"_she ordered, and they all took off in a sprint towards Ratchet and Bumblebee.

_/There he is./ _Optimus sent to Ironhide, his optics picking up Hardtop's position. The sound of Will's jeep exploding made him flinch as he drew his ion blaster and took aim. _/Ratchet! Report!/_

"Sonofa--" Will ducked down behind Bumblebee, furiously reloading his gun.

_Great...just great... _Simmons thought, hoping his car wasn't going to get blown up, too.

_/Bumblebee and Sam have sustained some damage, but they're still functional/ _Ratchet answered, kneeling down to protect the humans from pieces of flying metal, and running a scan on Sam. The puncture wounds were deep, but loss of blood was minimal - no major arteries or organs had been compromised.

_/Do what you can for them. Hardtop is almost in range./ _Optimus fired at the laser blast that was heading directly towards him, dispersing it approximately five hundred feet short of it's target.

"Bee! How bad is it, Ratchet?" Mikaela asked, slightly freaked over the hole in Bee's side. Bumblebee folded a comforting hand around her.

"The damage is easily repairable," Ratchet assured her.

"Do it later. I can still fight. Stay back with the others, Mikaela, please." Bumblebee determinedly tapped into his power reserves as he got up and rejoined the fight against Sixshot. A few much-stronger shots from his cannon, combined with the others' firepower, managed to drive the Decepticon back. Sixshot transformed to jet form and flew off.

"_No!_" Maggie fired a couple grenades after it, but the Decepticon easily avoided them. _Bloody hell!_

"Save your ammo," Will told her. "In case it comes back.

"Yes, yes..." She stamped her foot in frustration. _Dammit! What does it take to kill these things!_

"There's over five hours of sunlight left. You may not need to recharge tonight," Ratchet said, giving Bumblebee another scan. There was some wiring that will need replacing, and Sam will need tending to, once he has a few minutes to spare for those tasks.

Bumblebee silently nodded, briefly wondering if he'll have the chance to find out, then banished that morose thought. The Decepticons haven't won yet.

_/Careful, guys! Ravage is headin' back your way/ _Jazz told Bumblebee and Ratchet, who relayed the warning to their humans.

"I hope so!" Sam stared hard at the trees, searching for any sign of movement. There wasn't any, that he could tell, but he did hear the sound of Jazz shooting. It also looked like smoke was starting to rise from the middle of the mini-forest.

"Me, too," Mikaela added. The look Ravage had given her really creeped her out.

_/..just a little closer.../ _Ironhide muttered, impatient. _/Now, Optimus?/_

_/Now, Ironhide./_ Optimus confirmed, and both fired multiple rounds into the sky, trying to guess which way Hardtop will turn.

_/Got him./_

_/Well done./ _Optimus watched as the Decepticon faltered and began a nose-dive.

_/Thank you, Sir./ _he said, with a great deal of satisfaction, and stepped out from under the tree. Now where was Sixshot?

Optimus' optics narrowed when Hardtop managed to pull out of his dive and was now flying towards them, swerving in his path in case they fired on him again. /_Wait. He's not given up yet./_

Ironhide looked up again and scowled. _/Hmph. Head-on's not his style. Must be desperate/_ he remarked, then looked back to Ratchet and the others. "Take cover!"

"God, what now?" Maggie glanced up as she reloaded her gun.

Ratchet paused before answering. "The Seeker."

"Hardtop? Where is it?" She looked around, then noticed his shoulder. "You're hurt!"

"It's minor, Maggie," he told her; his armor was already self-repairing itself.

"We have to leave now. Other humans will come here to investigate," Bumblebee urged.

Sam objected. "Not without Jazz!"

"We should stay and fight!" Maggie stubbornly insisted.

"That field'll be a better place for that," Simmons put in.

Ratchet shook his head. "We need to get further away from here."

"Too late." Optimus almost growled, angry with them for wasting valuable time arguing. Spotting the other Autobots, and the humans with them, Hardtop changed direction, dropping to a mere fifty feet above ground level as he targeted them now. Optimus fired his blaster again to try to bring the Decepticon's attention back to him. _/Ironhide!/_

_/Yeah, I'm ready._/ Ironhide crouched down and fired his own laser cannons to deflect Hardtop's strikes.

Optimus took a running jump at the Decepticon when he passed by, catching hold of his left wingtip. His weight was enough to unbalance Hardtop, and they both crashed into the trees separating the rest stop from the highway, knocking several down.

"Optimus!" Ironhide rushed over to help his leader, followed by Ratchet.

"Don't shoot, guys. It's me."

"Jazz!" Sam started to get up when Jazz came out of another section of trees, looking a little thrashed, but got pulled back by Will.

"Stay down," Will ordered. "Jazz said you're hurt. Where're you hit?"

"Uhh..." Sam bit back a groan as his shoulders were jarred. "My back..I think."

"...stinkin' cat got away on the other side," Jazz grumbled, limping his way over to them. "Sixshot came back for him and flew off before I could stop 'em. They're long gone now."

Mikaela glanced up at the sky. "They're not coming back to help the other one?"

"Guess not." Jazz shrugged, not surprised by Sixshot abandoning his injured ally.

"Geez...Are you ok??" Sam's eyes grew big at the gashes criss-crossing Jazz's armor. Even his visor bore claw marks. "You need Ratchet!"

"I can wait 'til they're done," Jazz said, glancing over at the three-to-one fight against Hardtop, who was now in robotic form. As much as he would've like to jump in on it, he probably wouldn't be of much help in the shape he was in. "'sides, you should see the other guy. Hey, Will. Can you help Sam, since Ratchet's kinda busy right now?"

"Yeah, I've done a few field dressings before," Will replied, helping Sam when he struggled to get his t-shirt off.

Mikaela winced at the bloody streaks on Sam's back. "What do you need?" she asked.

"I'll need...Ah, dammit!" Will cursed, remembering that his jeep was a melted heap now. "My supplies were in my jeep..."

"I've got some in my bag." Maggie stood up, hefting her gun. "From Ratchet's med bay. He always kept it fully stocked for us. I'll be right back."

"Wait, I'll go...get it..." Will grimaced as she took off towards the trees. "Okay, I'll cover you..."

"_We'll_ cover her, you mean," Mikaela corrected.

Will nodded. "Right."

"You guys'll have to. I'm all out." Simmons tossed aside his empty gun.

Maggie kept one eye on the battle, making herself as small a target as possible as she crept along the treeline. Despite being outnumbered, the Decepticon had managed to hold it's own against Optimus and Ironhide, who'd both gotten close enough to exchange physical blows with it. Ratchet hung back, waiting for a chance to use the rotary saw he had extended and ready. _What the hell? Why don't they just use their cannons?_ _--because there was a highway right behind Hardtop,_ the logical side of her realized. Optimus wouldn't take the chance of endangering innocent motorists, if they should happen to miss.

They were determined to keep Hardtop away from that bloody highway, and it was bound to realize that any moment now, and use it against them. _Dammit! _Maggie dashed back to the others, practically throwing the tote bag at Will. "Here!"

"Thanks. Hey! Come back!" Will shouted when Maggie grabbed some extra grenades and took off again. "Is she nuts?"

"She's after some revenge." Jazz's optics narrowed in concern. He sent a warning to Ratchet, Ironhide and Optimus, and took aim at the Decepticon. _/You're about to have company. Maggie wants in on the action./_

_/What?? Stop her!/_ an alarmed Ratchet ordered Jazz.

"Don't fire yet." Bumblebee had his own cannon ready as he nervously watched Maggie get closer to the battle. "As long as Hardtop doesn't see her there..." he trailed off.

_/Too late. And my legs aren't workin' too well/ _Jazz was forced to admit. _/Sorry./_

_/We need to end this __**fast./ **_Ironhide grimaced, staggering back from a hard blow that dented his chest armor.

_/I agree./ _Optimus back-handed Hardtop, then got behind him, wrapping both arms around the Decepticon and hurling him away from the trees. Ratchet quickly closed in on their fallen enemy, his saw buzzing loudly as he sliced at the Decepticon's right arm.

It muttered something; a curse, no doubt, in Cybertronian, as it jerked back from those deadly blades. Maggie bit back a scream as Hardtop raised it's gun, lightning-fast, and fired at them. Sparks flew as Ratchet fell, but he quickly recovered, rolling to his feet. How much more can he take, though? Hardtop got back up, and an ugly grin crossed his face. Now it's figured out what they'd been doing. It aimed higher, targeting the trees, and the road behind them, instead of the Autobots.

Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet again took up defensive positions and spread out, waiting to see where Hardtop intended to fire in order to try block the shot. Maggie stopped about twenty feet away behind Hardtop, and emptied her launcher's chambers at it's legs. It made the most awful high-pitched noise as the right leg collapsed under it. Then repeated it when Ironhide pressed the advantage, aiming for Hardtop's chest this time with his cannons. Maggie blocked out that sound, concentrated on reloading, and fired six more grenades at the Decepticon, not caring where she hit it now.

_Empty again? Dammit! _She knelt down to reload for a third, and last, time -- one more round was all she had left -- when a giant hand scooped her up. "Why are you-- Put me down!" Maggie struggled to get free, losing her grip on her weapon. "We have to kill it!"

Optimus curled his fingers to keep her from falling off. "He's dead, Maggie."

She stopped and looked up at him. "--you're sure?"

"Quite certain," he assured her, thinking that this may very well bring the rest of the Decepticons after them now. It was an enormous risk to them all, but at the same time would also spare Los Angeles further death and destruction.

"Good..." Maggie glanced over at Ratchet and Ironhide, who were busy inspecting what was left of that Decepticon. Ratchet did briefly glance over at her, though. There was hardly any expression on his metallic face, but she could tell that he was definitely _not_ happy.

Simmons jumped into his SUV, getting on the phone to have a team sent out to dispose of the dead Decepticons.

"We must leave now. There are human emergency vehicles approaching," Ratchet informed them, and scanned Maggie to reassure himself that she wasn't injured. "I'll need to repair Jazz and Bumblebee before they attempt to transform, however."

Simmons hung up his phone and poked his head out the window. "Ok, I've got people on their way to this rest area to clean it up."

"Thank you." Optimus nodded to him. "We'll relocate to the field that Bumblebee found."

"Yes, Sir." Deciding to leave Maggie in Optimus' care for now, Ratchet walked over to his three new patients. A stern lecture on her recklessness would have to wait.

_I have so pissed him off... _Maggie groaned and slumped back down as Optimus and Ironhide followed the medic.

"Calm down," Optimus said in a quiet voice, lightly brushing his thumb across her back, as he'd seen Ratchet do earlier.

_Mmmm... _That haze of anger and fear had quickly abated, and now she was starting to feel something _quite_ different. _Okay, this is hideously awkward..._ Maggie thought, trying to keep still, but it was getting increasingly impossible. Was there a polite way of telling him to 'please stop doing that!' Or even... _Oh, God, he's __**really**__ good at this... _She couldn't think clearly at all now, and closed her eyes, concentrating on just breathing.

Will handed the tote bag to Mikaela and collected everyone's weapons, and what was left of the ammunition. They vacated the rest area a few seconds before the first fire truck pulled into it.

Jazz sat down with a thump once they reached the field; both he and Bumblebee insisted that Ratchet checked out Sam first. Ironhide and Optimus stood guard a few yards away on either side of the group.

"It's all clear, guys," Jazz reported, keeping his sensors tuned for any more Seekers.

Ratchet nodded. "I don't sense anything, either."

Relieved, Sam sat next to Jazz as Ratchet gave him a thorough scan.

"Maggie told me about some kind of ointment you whipped up, that heals fast, but we didn't know which one it is," Mikaela said, holding up two unmarked bottles from the bag.

"The blue one," Ratchet told her, after complimenting Will on his dressing of the wounds.

"Thanks," Will replied, a little surprised by being praised by their Chief Medical Officer.

Optimus glanced over at them, then downward when Maggie clutched his forefinger and squirmed, rubbing against his palm. Her heart rate had increased substantially again. _Why...Oops_. He stopped stroking her back, and she made a small sound, whether in relief or disappointment, he couldn't discern. That possibility of it being the latter was...interesting. Swiftly dispelling that errant thought, he opened a private line to Ratchet and Ironhide. _/I seem to have inadvertently...aroused your mate./ _They both turned to stare at him, which almost made him shift his feet in embarrassment.

_/What? Why?_/ Ironhide asked, baffled by the sudden announcement.

Ratchet 'sniffed', testing the air and nodding to himself as he concentrated on Bumblebee's injury. _/Humans do sometimes react in this manner after being frightened. May I ask just how you happened to accidentally stimulate her?/_

Maggie sneaked a glance up at Optimus, whose gaze was fixated on Ratchet's repairs of Bumblebee and Jazz. He didn't even notice her predicament? She didn't know whether to be extremely grateful for that or deeply insulted, which made no sense at all to her.

_/I was merely repeating your method of calming her when she nearly attacked Will Lennox. This was __**not **__what I'd intended to occur./ _Optimus insisted, then added,_ /It would be highly inappropriate now, under the circumstances./_

_/If it were anyone else, I would probably disconnect all non-vital systems and processors/ _Ratchet said, in a matter-of-fact tone. _/Ironhide?/ _

_/Yeah, I'll take care of her/_ Ironhide agreed, already transforming to truck mode.

Maggie heard the sound and sat up, just as the truck's front passenger door opened. "What are--" she began when Optimus deposited her on the seat, then moved away as the door closed. "--you doing?" she finished, as Ironhide drove a little further away from the others.

Both backrests suddenly reclined all the way back, startling her. Maggie scooted back a little, and was about to demand an explanation when Ironhide's _very_ naked holoform appeared on the seat next to her. "Oh...Oh, _yes_..."

"Thought you'd say that." Ironhide gave his usual smug smile, positioning Maggie further back on the make-shift 'bed' and moving on top of her.

"..m-hmmm.." she murmured, pulling his head down to voraciously kiss him.

Ironhide kissed back just as fiercely before sliding his hands underneath her to grasp the top of her shirt. One quick jerk tore it down the middle. Maggie gasped at that, wriggling excitedly. He roughly pulled the shirt off her, then moved back to remove the rest of her clothes in the same fashion.

Maggie rose up on her elbows and watched him avidly, running her tongue over her lips when he pushed her legs apart. _...this is so turning me on..._

He paused for a moment to enjoy the picture Maggie presented -- face flushed and eyes bright with desire for him - then covered her again, pinning Maggie to the seat. She felt slightly warmer now than during previous matings, due to the recent adrenaline rush, he noted as he entered her. She gasped again, loudly, and bit down on his left shoulder. Ironhide growled in response, thrusting hard and fast.

"Oh!" Maggie's eyes widened in surprise; he'd always taken it slow at first, before. He tilted her head to roughly kiss that sensitive spot on her neck, driving her wild. She cried out as a powerful climax swept through her, raking her fingernails down the length of Ironhide's back.

"Mph..." he grunted, and moved faster as her muscles clenched around him, then slowing when Maggie went limp under him. His holoform flickered for an instance as he removed the scratches and bitemark she'd given him.

"Don't...stop!" she begged, panting. He felt so damn _good!_ "More!"

"Yeah..more.." Ironhide growled next to her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Wrapping an arm around Maggie, he held her tightly to him as he rose to his knees. Circling her waist with both hands, he lifted her up a few inches, then pulled her back down.

Maggie braced her hands on the roof of the truck to push herself down harder onto him. "...God..._yes_!..."

"Primus..." Ironhide said, repeating the motion again, and again.

She blinked dazedly at him. "...what?"

"We say 'Primus'," he told her, stopping to kiss the base of her throat, then moving lower to her breasts.

"Oh..Primus..." Maggie pressed a hand to the back of his head, getting the distinct impression that he wanted to devour her.

He returned to her neck, roughly kissing that soft skin, before moving her faster on him now, groaning at the resulting friction. "Primus, yes..."

Maggie shuddered, feeling another climax overtaking her. "P-Primus!" She pressed her forehead against his shoulder, legs wrapped tightly around him as she peaked. As always, he continued for several more seconds, drawing it out for her. "Ironhide..." Maggie breathlessly whispered, trembling as she clutched his upper arms.

"Maggie..." Ironhide held her close for a moment longer, waiting for her to recover more, then lifted her off of him. He turned Maggie around and set her down to her hands and knees, across the two backrests.

Maggie sucked in a breath when he spread her legs wider. "..oh, G--Primus.. Yes.."

Slowly running his hands over Maggie's slender back, then firmly gripping her hips, Ironhide pulled her back to him as he slid deep inside again, resuming that fast pace.

"Uhh!" Maggie cried out at each hard thrust, her fingernails digging small furrows into the seat's 'leather'. That lovely hot wave of pleasure was building up again. He let go of her hips and leaned over her, hands firmly cupping her breasts as he moved even faster. She moaned loudly and arched up against him, driven over the edge for a third time, then dropped her head down between her arms. "...enough...please..."

He immediately stopped and pulled out, moving them both to the back seat. "Are you all right?" Ironhide asked, once her breathing slowed.

"I--Ooh.." Maggie covered her face with both hands, appalled by her behavior. So much for self-control! That thing could've so easily turned around and stomped on her! "I don't know _what_ got into me!"

Ironhide shrugged and stated. "You needed to clear your processor."

She dropped her hands, twisted around to stare at him in amazement, then laughed. "Clear my _processor_? You really are a master at simplifying everything," Maggie told him, bemused.

"Thanks." He smiled, slowly rubbing her back. "I remember my first battle."

"When your cannons lost their virginity," she quipped, smiling back at him, a bit surprised to realize that she actually did feel a bit better now. It felt good to laugh.

Ironhide chuckled at her joke. "Only had one back then, but it got a pretty good workout," he said with a wink.

"I'm sure it did!" Maggie laughed again, then sighed ruefully. "I don't think Ratchet shares your opinion."

"Hmph. You did have us worried." Ironhide frowned; worried didn't begin to describe how he'd felt. His arms tightened around Maggie, and he directed a _very _stern look at her. "Don't ever get that close to a Decepticon again, especially out in the open."

"I don't intend to." Maggie smiled, pleased that he didn't expect her to just sit on the sidelines during a battle, and rested her head on his chest. He felt just as warm and solid as a real man. Almost. Instead of a heartbeat, she could hear a faint humming sound. "It's kind of strange, the way you and Ratchet know exactly what I need sometimes. Better than I do, even."

"Yeah, we do." He gripped her chin, tilting it up to kiss her, softly this time.

"...mmm..." She kissed back, then started when the outside world interrupted: Someone tapped on the front passenger window. "--bloody hell..."

"Maggie?" Mikaela called, tapping again. "Do you need your bag back?"

The window lowered just enough for one arm to poke out. "Yes, please! Thanks!"

"Okay.." She handed the tote bag to Maggie, and the window closed again the second her arm was back inside. With an amused grin on her face, Mikaela walked back to the others, stopping next to Bumblebee and leaning against his foot.

Ratchet finished repairing Jazz's legs a minute later. "Done."

"Thanks, Doc," Jazz said, flexing his knee joints. "Appreciate it."

"Everyone, roll out," Optimus ordered, once Ratchet had his tools and the spare parts he'd salvaged from Hardtop tucked away under his armor. "Thank you for your assistance, Major Lennox."

"You're welcome. And since I can't convince you to go to that base, you can count me in on your trip," Will announced, closing the duffel bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

Sam turned around, about to get into the Aston. "You're coming with us?"

"Wherever it is you're trying to get to must be important, and you'll need someone to watch your back," Will said, pointedly glancing over at Simmons before looking up at Optimus Prime. "If you don't mind me tagging along with you guys, that is."

"You are welcome to join us. We are traveling to Mammoth Cave, in Kentucky," Optimus decided to tell Major Lennox, ignoring the frown Simmons directed at him. "I must ask that you not inform your superiors of this, however."

"What, you think there might be some kind of conspiracy going on here?" Will said, skeptically.

"You mean like a Sector Seven conspiracy?" Sam retorted, and Bumblebee honked in agreement with him.

"Okay, you've got a point there.." Will had to concede, nodding to Bumblebee. "I'll need a ride from one of you."

Optimus flicked a brief glance at Ironhide, then turned back to Will. "You may ride with me," he told the Major, and transformed.

"Ok, thanks." Will put his bag in the back seat, then climbed in.

"You're welcome. Take the lead, Ratchet."

"Yes, Sir. "

Ratchet drove through three more fields, to avoid the humans who were now gathering by the rest area, before getting back on the highway.


	7. Chapter 7

Soundwave was surveying a cluster of dark-colored buildings from atop a sand dune when he sensed the death. _Rumble!?_ He opened a private link to Ravage. _/Ravage! What has happened?/ _

_/Found the Autobots. Humans are with them. Megatron's killer is with them! Silver Autobot protects it. Female human killed Rumble!/ came Ravage's enraged reply. _

_/A human?/ _Soundwave repeated, his own anger surging. Sixshot was supposed to be looking after Rumble and Ravage! _/How many Autobots and humans are there?/_

_/Sixshot is landing to see. Silver Autobot trying to catch me. Lots of tree things to hide among here./_

_/Be cautious, Ravage./ _Soundwave told him, then closed the line, opening another one to Sixshot. _/Sixshot!/_

_/Now is not a good time, Soundwave./ _

_/So I've been told. I will expect an explanation regarding Rumble later. For now, do not leave Ravage behind, or you __**will **__regret it/_ threatened Soundwave

_/Then he had better come when I call him./_ Sixshot abruptly cut the link.

Soundwave turned his infuriated gaze back to the human settlement. Until Frenzy was found, Ravage's survival would depend on that arrogant Seeker. He transformed back into vehicle mode and sped across the desert toward those buildings.

As with the military base, humans came out in jeeps to intercept him, this time using more effective weapons than the soldiers had. The projectiles burned through his armor, narrowly missing vital wiring. A few well-aimed concussion bursts, and their four jeeps exploded in flames. Soundwave tossed aside one that was in his way, then changed back to the SSC. Seconds later he was bearing down on the nearest of the buildings, where more humans had emerged and fired at him. These ones were wearing some sort of helmet-like devices, apparently intended to protect them from his sonic bursts. Soundwave decided to test their effectiveness.

It took just a slightly stronger pulse to incapacitate these humans. Soundwave shrugged, unimpressed with the humans' shields, and let out Ratbat, Buzzsaw and Lazerbeak, instructing them to question the humans in the other buildings, and to download all data from any computers they happen to find. After sending them off, he walked over to the building in front of him and tore the roof off.

Unlike the previous humans, these weren't wearing badges signifying positions of authority. He was forced to question these creatures two at a time. Soundwave looked down at the terrified humans, pushed the heavier pieces of furniture around to block the outer doors and prevent their escape, then grabbed two white-coated males at random. "Where is Frenzy?" he asked the pair, activating a projection of his friend.

Soundwave found it very convenient that humans had such fragile bodies. A squeeze in just the right place, and they couldn't answer his questions fast enough. Frenzy, he was told, had been 'stored' here, as the one human phrased it, four days ago, but had been transported again early this morning by helicopter. He'd missed Frenzy by just a few mega-cycles.

Another squeeze produced no more information from either human. They hadn't been told where Frenzy was taken to. Finished with these, Soundwave threw them aside and picked up two more humans. At times he was forced to stop, temporarily, to deal with more armed humans who'd reached the building and attacked him.

Soundwave glanced briefly at the dead humans scattered about the rooms, then accessed each computer before heading for another building. There wasn't much more to be discovered here, other than a snippet of conversation one of the humans had overheard, about NBEs Three and Four being moved into an underground cave. There were many caves on this world, Soundwave found out as he reviewed his data banks.

Unless Laserbeak, Buzzsaw or Ratbat discover the name of that cave, he would have to return to Las Vegas, to the Nellis Air Force base, where the helicopter originated from. Someone there was likely to know where it, and Frenzy, had been sent.

* * *

"Ahh. There you are. Enjoying the 'improvements' to this city?" Thunderblast asked, finally locating Thundercracker walking through what the humans called Chinatown, when it was still standing.

"What do you want?" he bluntly asked, immediately suspicious of her.

"Angry, hm? Well, you do have cause to be, considering the danger you're in."

"Danger? What are you talking about?" he demanded. She couldn't possibly sense his growing doubts regarding their so-called mission.

"I'm sure you've been wondering, as we all have, why Starscream hasn't formally named you as his Second-In-Command."

"Second-In-Command?" Thundercracker repeated, taken aback. He actually hadn't even thought of that. His first impulse was to reject the idea, but..it would give him a stronger position from which to question Starscream's decisions.

"Naturally." She paused, as if contemplating the matter. "But perhaps Starscream is considering choosing Shockwave instead, to satisfy his ambitions."

"As if that would." He looked at Thunderblast sharply, wondering what her motive was in approaching him. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"To warn you, of course. Shockwave is the only real rival you have to being Second, just as you are his. You might want to consider taking steps in eliminating the competition. I've no doubt that _he's _already planning to do so. It is the logical solution, after all," Thunderblast added as a parting shot before walking away, leaving him with a thoughtful look on his face.

If Starscream wanted to use Thundercracker to rid himself of Shockwave, then she would do all she could to arrange it. And enjoy it. On her way back to Starscream, she came across Shrapnel, lying in wait to capture and play with any stray humans who'd been foolish enough to stay in the city. "Shrapnel!" she called to him, 'inadvertently' frightening a human back into it's hiding place, a partially-collapsed hotel, before Shrapnel had a chance to snag it.

"Yes, yes??" he angrily hissed.

"We're nearly done with this city, I believe. Do not get distracted and ignore Starscream's order to leave."

"I won't, won't."

"See that you don't. It would be quite _tragic_ if you happen to be left behind," she said, mockingly, before moving on.

* * *

_/I have located the Autobots in the section of land the humans call Utah/ _Sixshot informed Starscream. _/There are only five: Optimus Prime and four of his lieutenants. They have five humans with them. One is the young male, Witwicky, who you said killed Megatron. They are traveling East./_

_/I see.../ That is so typically sentimental of the Autobot leader, to keep company with lesser beings, _he thought, sneering.. _/Continue./_

_/Ravage impulsively attacked Witwicky, and has been damaged by Optimus' lieutenant, Jazz. Rumble went to his aid, but one of the other humans killed him/ _Sixshot reported in a scathing tone, not bothering to hide his annoyance with those drones. _/Hardtop also became careless, and is dead, too./_

_/Clumsy fool!/_ Starscream snarled, far more angry about the loss of Hardtop than Rumble.

_/Yes./ _Sixshot agreed._ /The Autobots have been injured, though. I request permission to finish them off./_

_/Since Ravage is in need to a medic, take him to Hook/ _Starscream decided, giving Sixshot the Constructicons' current location, who should be halfway to that other city by now. Perhaps Rumble's demise, and Ravage's injuries, will draw Soundwave back. /_I shall send the other Seekers to take are of the Autobots./_

_/Yes, Lord Starscream. We're on our way there now./_

Starscream closed the link, then sat down on a piece of a huge broken fountain to wait for Thunderblast, who returned a few cycles later. "Well?"

"I'm reasonably certain Thundercracker is now convinced of the threat to him. We'll just have to see if he has the fortitude to act on it."

"He may need further encouragement, which I'll expect you to provide."

"As you command, Lord Starscream. Do you require anything else from me?" she asked, in a meek, demure voice, though it grated on her vocal processor.

"Not at this time," Starscream replied, with a faint smirk at her tone.

"Very well..." Thunderblast looked about, commenting, "Most of the humans here have managed to escape us, scattering in all directions." She shrugged. Their turn will come, in time. "What city shall we destroy next? There is an even larger one on the other side of this continent. New York City, it is called."

He took a brief moment to consider it, then shook his head, smiling. "No. We shall strike at the center of power in this country."

"Ahh.. Washington D.C. An excellent plan." She smiled back. "Let's pay it a visit, then."

"We will, soon. Now go play with your pet. I'm certain Shortround is searching everywhere for you by now," he said, dismissing her.

"...yes, Lord Starscream..." she said, annoyed, and stomped off.

Starscream watched her go, amused, then opened a line to Thundercracker. A relatively easy mission may give him more confidence to take out Shockwave. /_/Thundercracker./_

_/Yes, Lord Starscream?/ _he answered, after a few astro-seconds.

_/Sixshot located the Autobots, but Hardtop was killed by them. I want you and the other Seekers to track them down again. You can get their last coordinates from Sixshot. Kill as many Autobots as you like, along with their humans, but leave Optimus Prime alive./_

_/Alive? May I ask why?/ _

_/I want him to know what it's like to feel insignificant, before he dies/_ Starscream said, a trace of angry resentment in his voice for the proud leader. _/Now go. When you're done with them, meets us in Washington D.C., a city on the East Coast of this land./_

_/Yes, Lord Starscream./_

Starscream closed then link, then, on a whim, opened another one to Shockwave, to give him the dubious honor of transporting the Constructicons to the Washington city. After they were finished with all of San Francisco's bridges, of course

* * *

"Could we please make a stop soon?" Maggie requested a few minutes after they'd crossed the border into Colorado, sitting in the front passenger seat now and wearing the spare clothes she'd packed. "I really need a break. A..uhm...restroom break."

Ironhide looked puzzled for just a moment, then nodded. "Anyone else?" he asked the others.

"I do, too," Mikaela seconded; she was starting to feel uncomfortable, now that that subject's been brought up.

Simmons didn't bother to answer, relatively sure the question wasn't directed at him, anyway.

"What about you, Sam?" asked Jazz.

"Sure. Some food would be great, too," Sam added, and right on cue his stomach made it's opinion known.

"Yeah, it would," Will agreed, thinking of a thick, juicy hamburger.

"We should pay with cash, in case someone's trying to locate us through our credit cards," Maggie advised.

"Yes, that would be wise. The next town is six miles ahead," Optimus told them. "It is called Grand Junction. We shall make a brief stop there."

"Thank you," they all said together, then chuckled a little.

Since they were now pushing one-fifty, it took them only a couple minutes to reach the exit leading to fast food restaurants. After a short debate over who had the best burgers, they all pulled in and parked at the one Jazz recommended.

"Be right back." Mikaela dropped a kiss to the center of the steering wheel before getting out: Bee had prudently decided to deactivate his holoform while waiting for the sunlight to restore his power reserves.

"I hope they're not crowded in there," Maggie said, tying her hair back after hopping out of the truck.

"Maggie?"

"Yes, Ratch'?" She turned around and walked over to the Hummer.

"Please remind the others to order their food as take-out."

"Of course." Maggie nodded, and noticed the disgruntled look he was giving her neck. _Oh..._ "I'll go do that now," she said, hurrying into the restaurant. "Ratchet wanted me to remind you guys: Take-out only."

"Sure, Maggie," Will replied for everyone.

She gave the menu a quick read, ordered a chicken salad and a bottle of water when her turn came. While their meals were being prepared, they all made a dash into the much-needed restrooms.

_Ok, so maybe he has a good reason to be upset. _Maggie blushed, looking in the mirror at several small bruises on her neck as she washed her hands afterward, then splashed cold water on her heated face. Still... Ratchet did seem to be almost obsessed with her skin. She shrugged at that quirk of his and dried off. Pulling her torn clothing from her tote bag, she dumped them into the trash barrel and covered them with paper towels. _Have got to remember to not let Ironhide do that again, _she told herself as she went to get her food.

* * *

"How're you doin', Sam?" Jazz felt compelled to ask again, once they all came back outside carrying drinks and bags.

"Just fine, Jazz," Sam replied, looking forward to getting some hot food into his stomach. "Shoulders don't even hurt now."

"His wounds are healing well," Ratchet volunteered, then fell silent. Something wasn't right...

A Decepticon appeared right behind Sam, snatched him up in one hand, and then disappeared just as quickly.

"_**Sam!**_" Jazz shouted, transforming the same time as the others. He stood staring down at the dropped paper bag that now lay where Sam had been standing. "No..."

"_No!_" Mikaela rushed forward, but there was nothing she could do. There was nothing anyone could do.

"What happened?!" Maggie asked, who'd been checking at her watch at that moment.

"One of _them_ grabbed Sam!" Will told her, his food also forgotten as he dropped the large duffel bag he'd been carrying. "That damn teleporting one."

"Oh my god..."

"Skywarp," Bumblebee said, blinking rapidly in horror. _No..Not Sam!_

"Everyone, roll out!" Optimus ordered, his vocals strained with shock and fear at the sudden, and completely unexpected, abduction. "He may not have taken Sam far! Find him!"

"--you mean, find whatever they decide to leave behind for us..." Jazz said, his optics dimming with grief. It'd happened so _fast_... Sam was gone in an instant...

"Damn.." Simmons muttered, squeezing his coffee cup so hard it burst. He might not have liked the kid much, but that didn't mean he wanted him dead.

"Jazz!" Optimus clamped a hand on his stricken lieutenant's shoulder, disregarding the gasps of shock from other humans in their vicinity as they saw the Autobots. Hiding was hardly a top priority now. "Do not give up hope. We don't know what Skywarp has planned."

"He is close by," Ratchet stated, after a moment of intense concentration. "I can sense that much."

"Let's go, then!" Maggie threw her lunch over her shoulder and ran over to Ironhide.

Will wasted no time pulling out the grenade launchers and handing them out to Maggie, Mikaela...and Simmons, since there was one extra one now. _Temporarily!_ he told himself.

"Yeah..." Jazz straightened up, desperately trying to stay positive, but it was _hard_. After what happened to poor Glen... No. That was _not_ gonna happen to Sam! "Let's roll!" he growled, changing back to his car mode. Ironhide, Bumblebee and Optimus also transformed, doors opening for their passengers.

"Ironhide, Jazz, you search along the highway," Optimus ordered. "The rest of us will search every part of this town. We_ must_ find Sam."

* * *

_/Guess who I found/_ Skywarp said, a grin in his voice.

_/The Autobots, I assume?/ _Thundercracker replied.

_/The humans, too. They're at a building that produces food, near Exit Thirty-One on the road they call Interstate Seventy./_

Thundercracker thought that was unusual. The Autobots cared enough about these beings to keep them, and maintain their well-being/_Where are you?/ _

_/I'm next to Exit Twenty-Nine now./_

_/Have you told the others?/ _he asked, flying low over the highway to Skywarp's location.

_/No, I thought you'd want to know first. With your permission, I'll start our attack./_

_/Don't. Not yet./ _Thundercracker instructed, landing when he reached Skywarp. "I would like to ta-- question one of the humans first. Alone."

"Question a human?" Skywarp stared at him, bewildered. "Why?"

"Because I'm curious about something, that's why." Thundercracker decided not to try to explain his reasoning to his friend.

"Fine. I'll bring you one, then,"Skywarp said, and teleported. A few astro-seconds later he was back, with a young human male in his grip.

Sam slowly opened his eyes, his head pounding from...what the hell happened? It all came back in a rush. "No!"

"This, I believe, is the one that killed our leader." Skywarp grinned as he tossed the human over to Thundercracker.

_...oh, shit..._ Sam closed his eyes tightly as the world went spinning a second time.

Thundercracker lunged forward, catching the human before it hit the ground. _/I did __**not**__ ask you to throw it!/_

_/You didn't say not to./_

/_Just stand guard, Skywarp_./

Skywarp shrugged and strode away from them, sitting behind a tree to watch for Autobots.

"Do not pretend to be unconscious," Thundercracker told the human, as two vehicles skidded and crashed behind him. One look at a large cannon pointed at them sent the passengers fleeing. He left the road then, walking through a wooden fence to a pasture.

_...please let this be a dream...I'm still with Jazz...asleep..._ Sam prayed, then heard that thing speaking to him, in English. Opening his eyes again, he stared up at a pair of red optics. His nightmare had come true after all. _So this is it. I'm never going to see my family or friends again. Or Jazz... _"Go ahead! Kill me and get it over with!" Sam yelled, furiously throwing the cup he'd had clutched between his hands.

Thundercracker blinked when brown liquid splattered his face, and glared at the impudent creature. "Perhaps I will."

Sam glared back and waited for it to crush him like a bug. Funny thing was, it looked annoyed, but not really pissed off. "Well? What are you waiting for??"

"I---have questions."

_Huh?? It wants to chat before it kills me? Unbelievable! _"Okay..." Sam said slowly, forcing himself to think more clearly. _Maybe I can stall it long enough for Jazz and the others to get here, and take both of them out... _"Ask away."

"You are the Witwicky human who killed Megatron and destroyed the Cube?"

"Yes!" Sam admitted; there wasn't any point in denying something it already knew. "I'm...sorry about the All Spark..but I didn't have a choice! Megatron was gonna kill me, and Optimus. He was gonna kill _everyone!"_

"Did your kind have no choice in torturing Megatron for one hundred meta-cycles, as well?" He angrily gave the human a small shake.

"Wh--what the h-hell's a m-meta-cycle?!" Sam stuttered, rattled by the shaking.

"A meta-cycle is approximately thirteen Earth months," Thundercracker impatiently calculated for it. "Do the Autobots think you are too primitive to understand that?"

"Go to hell!" Sam retorted, his nerves fraying. The monster's hand tightened painfully around him, and he gasped. "All right, all right! They don't like to talk much about Cybertron." To his surprise, it's grip eased up a little. "Megatron.. My great-great grandfather found him in the Arctic Circle, in 1897, and he'd been kept frozen ever since. Until some friends of yours showed up and sprung him. Does that sound like torture to you??"

His optics narrowing, Thundercracker regarded the human. Witwicky was frightened and angry, but there was no hint of deceit in it's voice. So Starscream had lied, it seemed, about Megatron being tortured, but not about being held prisoner by the humans. That would not be enough to turn the others against their new leader. He needed to catch Starscream in an even greater lie.

_Christ, I'm actually defending us against this thin__g? Screw that! _"Why don't you answer _my _question now?" Sam brashly demanded. "Why did you and _your _kind turn into evil bastards?"

"We--" Thundercracker stopped short, considering it's words, and finding himself unable to produce an answer that was even remotely rational. It had been Megatron's unwavering belief that only Decepticons were worthy to rule Cybertron, but now, with both him and the All Spark gone...

Skywarp chose that moment to interrupt them. _/The Autobots have found us./_ he alerted Thundercracker, as well as Dirge and Ramjet.

* * *

"There's Skywarp, up ahead! Jump out!" Ironhide braked hard, releasing the seat belt before starting to transform. "Hurry!"

Weapon and bag in hand, Maggie threw herself out the opened door. "Oof!" she exclaimed, the breath knocked out of her when she landed hard on her side. She kept the grenade launcher held high to keep it from hitting the ground, then scrambled to her feet. 'Up ahead' was almost the length of a football field. She slid down into a roadside ditch for cover.

Ironhide sent for the others as he ran towards Skywarp, firing his cannons, trying to damage the Decepticon enough so he couldn't teleport. Skywarp didn't have the boy anymore, he'd noticed with a sinking feeling. "What have you done with Sam?!" he snarled, closing in on his enemy.

"What do you think I did with it?" Skywarp taunted, letting the Autobot get within ten feet of him before teleporting away.

_"Damn!" _Maggie cursed to herself: She'd just started to aim at it when it vanished. Where did it go? And was Sam even still alive? _Bloody hell... _The ditch was proving hard to get out of now; her feet kept slipping on loose rocks. She gave up for now, and began picking her way around rocks, and an occasional broken bottle, to rejoin Ironhide.

"Over here!" Sam shouted, having heard the unmistakable sound of Ironhide's cannon. The Decepticon made no attempt to shut him up, which made him want to kick himself for luring Ironhide over into what was probably an ambush.

"Sam!" Ironhide stalked their way, stopping a few yards away. "Drop him!" He switched to Cybertronian, aiming his cannons at Thundercracker.

'Be careful,' Sam mouthed to him.

Ironhide's optics blinked once at the boy; he'd been on the alert for Skywarp since the Decepticon vanished. There was no sign of the other Seekers.

"What is this human, Sam, to you?" Thundercracker asked, his own weapon out and aimed at the Autobot.

"A friend, not that you'd know what that is." Ironhide silently berated himself for that remark. It didn't help Sam at all to get the Decepticon angry. In fact, nothing could. He grimly acknowledged the hopelessness of the situation. Thundercracker was going to kill Sam, no matter what happens. He prepared to fire.

"He's my human." Jazz spoke up as he slowly approached and stood by Ironhide. Sam's face was white with fear, but he looked to be unharmed. So far. _Gotta try to keep him that way,_ he thought, gesturing behind his back to Maggie, who ducked back down in the ditch. Another good sign was that the Decepticon hadn't immediately fired on Ironhide. _Wish I had a saw, like Ratchet's..._

Puzzled, Thundercracker stepped back when the silver Autobot appeared. Why did he not attacked from behind? He'd had the opportunity.

_/Why'd you tell him that?/_ Ironhide sent to him.

_/It's what humans call a desperate measure. Lower your cannons./_

_/Hope you know what you're doing../ _Ironhide muttered, slowly lowering his arms.

_/You and me both./ _There wasn't any way to safely rescue Sam by force, obviously. But there might be a chance, however slim, that Jazz could to convince him to be----merciful. Thundercracker, according to other Autobots he'd spoken with in the past, wasn't malicious like the other Decepticons. "We're the ones you're _really _after, right? Not some tiny human."

"Jazz..." Sam whispered faintly, then held his breath. Instead of fighting, they were--talking to each other? He _really _wished he could understand Cybertronian.

"This human belongs to you?" Thundercracker opened his hand to study Sam Witwicky. His initial assumption was that this being was Jazz's pet, but the way they were both staring at each other implied that there was more to it. In fact, both Autobots appeared very concerned for it. He warily lowered his own weapon, but remained alert for a potential attack from the other Autobots.

"--if you wanna look at it that way, then, yeah. He belongs to me." Jazz edged closer. "Give him back...please?" He really had to force that last word out.

Sam cautiously sat up on the monster's palm. What the hell was going on? Was it actually going to let him go? Or was it just playing some sick mind game with them? _...maybe they can distract it long enough for me to jump... Jazz would catch me. _

"I might.." Thundercracker was about to question them further when he noticed Ramjet, flying low, directly at the Autobots' backs. _/Ramjet! Stop!/_

_/They're about to slag you!/_ Instead of veering off, Ramjet increased his speed, determined to save his fellow Seeker.

_/No!/_ "Behind you!" Thundercracker hissed the warning in a low voice.

Ironhide eyed the Decepticon, suspecting a trick, while Jazz turned to look. /_It's Ramjet!_/ Jazz shoved at Ironhide when he started to turn and raise his cannons, trying to help the much-bulkier Autobot get out of the way in time.

Thundercracker closed his hand around the human again and stepped to one side as Ramjet plowed into the Autobots, all three of them just missing him as they crashed to the ground. "...scrap pile never _listens_..." he muttered angrily, turning to see how much damage Ramjet inflicted.

Both Autobots were down. A silver arm lay on the ground a few feet away from them. Ironhide had born the brunt of the collision, though. His chest armor had been smashed in, partially exposing his spark casing. He needed their medic, now.

Skywarp, who'd apparently been watching from a distance, appeared on the other side of them and fired down at Ironhide's chest. "Stop!" Thundercracker immediately ordered. Skywarp looked confused, but obeyed, backing away from the Autobots.

"**No!!**" Sam fought wildly to get free, slamming his fists down on the Decepticon's hand. "**Jazz! Ironhide**!"

_/I did not ask for your assistance, Skywarp!_/ Thundercracker reprimanded, hearing a scream from yet another human, this one standing next to the highway.

_/Why were you just standing there, doing nothing_?/ Skywarp asked, defensively. Ramjet made a sharp grinding noise as he tried to transform, but his right wing was crumpled from striking the Autobots, and he dropped offline from the excruciating pain.

_/I have my reasons.../_ Thundercracker ground out, frustrated with their interference, well-intentioned though it was.

"_Ironhide_!" Shutting down his pain processors and sending an urgent message to Ratchet, Jazz struggled to get upright, leaning over Ironhide as the light faded from his optics. "Primus, no..." he said in a whisper, helplessly watching his friend die.

Dirge reached the group then, transforming and landing next to Thundercracker. _/That one is still alive/_ he stated, looking at the smaller, silver Autobot.

Jazz looked up at the three Seekers, then back down at Ironhide's body. With his shield arm gone, there wasn't much he could do now to defend himself. He waited for his turn. _Primus.. I'm sorry, buddy. Sorry, Sam..._

_/Leave him. Ramjet's wing is damaged and he can't fly./_ Ramjet's injury gave Thundercracker a perfect reason to retreat._ /Help Skywarp take him to Hook./_

_/I can do it myself./_ Aggravated by Thundercracker's bizarre behavior, Skywarp hooked his fingers into Ramjet's frame and teleported. He would get an explanation for all of this later.

_/--We're leaving now, Dirge, before the other Autobots arrive./_

_/Very well./ _Dirge smirked at the surviving Autobot before changing back to jet form and flying off.

Thundercracker looked down at the still-wriggling human in his hand, dropped it--him, into a bush, then followed Dirge.

Jazz looked back up, startled, when he heard them leaving. _What the-- _"Sam!"

"I'm..here.." Sam gasped, branches leaving long scratches on his arms as he tried to drag himself out of the bush. His backpack had caught on something, though.

"Sam! Hold still!" Maggie stopped just long enough to help him out, then ran over to Ironhide, dropping her weapon and tote bag. "No, _no_, _**no**_!!"

"Oh, no..." Sam came up behind her, staring in horror and clutching Jazz's arm to his chest. "Is he--?"

"_**No!**_" She rounded on him, just as Optimus and the others found them. "_He's __**not!!**_ _Ratchet_!!"

"I'm here." Ratchet transformed and rushed over, tools out and prepared as he got a good look at Ironhide's chest. The scorched wiring could be replaced...systems repaired... All of the damage was reversible, given time, except for Ironhide's spark casing. It had been shattered, and was dark now. Empty. "He's gone.." Ratchet said in a stunned, mournful voice.

"_No! He __**can't**__ be dead_!" Maggie shrieked in denial and tried to climb up onto Ironhide's chest, heedless of the sharp, jagged metal. "_Help him_!"

"Stop." Ratchet retracted a welder into his left wrist and plucked her off of Ironhide, cradling her in one hand. "You'll injure yourself."

"I don't _care_! He _can't_ be dead!" she repeated, even though she'd seen where that bright blue spark of his should be...but wasn't... "He can't be..."

Jazz's head drooped as he scooted Sam closer to him with his left hand.

"--you're certain, Ratchet?" Optimus asked, not wanting to believe it, either. Of all the Autobots, he'd always expected his battle-hardened old friend to be the last to fall, even after himself. His optics flickered with sorrow when Ratchet silently nodded. "He was a brave soldier, and a loyal friend and companion."

"_No..."_ Maggie wilted in Ratchet's hand, sobbing. _It's not fair! Not Ironhide!!_

Ratchet covered her with his other hand, still staring at his dead friend. _I must repair Jazz's arm. Try to salvage something from...Ironhide. He would have wanted that, _he thought, but couldn't seem to make himself move just yet.

"I'm sorry." Sam wiped a hand over his face, feeling overwhelmed with grief, and guilt.

"It's not your fault, Sam," Jazz was quick to point out, curling his hand around him. _It's mine_, he silently added, looking Sam over to make sure he hadn't been hurt.

"It could've grabbed any one of us," Mikaela told him, quietly weeping herself. Bee lightly patted her back, his optics dimmed like the others.

"That's true, Sam," Will backed her up, taking the loss of his friend a little more stoically: Soldiers don't cry in front of others.

"Yeah," Sam mumbled, sniffling, though he knew it_ wasn't_ true. He was the one that killed Megatron, not them. That Decepticon had come after him. And now Ironhide was dead. _What'll we do now? _

_This is really upsetting, _Simmons thought, rubbing the back of his head as he watched them. It was like they were mourning a death in the family. _Actually...that's what they kinda are._ _One big, tight-knit, extended family. _"Ok, look," he began, feeling obligated to speak up. "We'll hide his body somewhere, come back later and...bring him back."

Mikaela was the first to turn and look at him. "Wait a minute... Did you just say 'bring him back'?"

Simmons almost fidgeted, now that everyone's attention was on him. Everyone except Maggie, that is. He could still hear her crying in Ratchet's hand. "Yeah.. That's what I said. Like how you guys brought back Jazz."

"What is this, some kind of joke?" demanded Jazz.

"Nope. I'm not joking."

Optimus reached inside his chest, slowly pulling out the fragment of the All Spark. He turned it over between his fingers, thoughtfully, then looked back down at Simmons. "I believe it's time you told us _exactly_ why we are traveling to Mammoth Cave, Agent Simmons."

Simmons stuffed his hands in his pants pockets. "Okay, first of all, you gotta understand that people were really dumb back in the '30s."

Bumblebee peered down at him, almost afraid to ask. "What did your people do during that time period?"

"Well, we - meaning Sector Seven -- found out that the All Spark could regenerate, like you guys' armor does," Simmons told them, getting more nervous when the Autobots stared at him.

_What was that? _Maggie went perfectly still and clapped a hand over her mouth, listening hard. _Something about the All Spark...regenerating?_

"How--how did they discover that it possessed that ability?" Optimus' processors whirred with astonishment, and the stirring of dread.

Ratchet's own shocked expression turned into a dark scowl. "They would have had to--"

"Pretty much, yeah." Simmons confirmed, nodding.

"What're you saying, Simmons?" Jazz demanded, trying to ignore the twinge of hope in his spark. It couldn't be...could it?

"I'm saying that there are more pieces of that Cube thing, and they're a _lot_ bigger than the one you're holding."

"That was completely irresponsible of them!" Optimus rumbled loudly, his optics flashing with outrage at the disaster the humans could have so easily brought about. "Were they not aware of the danger they'd placed themselves in?"

"Whoa! Don't yell at me about it!" Simmons backed away from the intimidating figure, hands up. "Besides, nothing happened! They didn't blow up the planet or anything."

Sam stared at him in disbelief. "They cut off chunks of the All Spark, and stuck them in some cave? What the hell were they thinking??"

"There aren't all that many places secure enough to keep something like that," Simmons told him, still eyeing Optimus warily. "They moved all of the pieces there; didn't wanna risk them getting scattered and lost."

"Let me up!" Maggie pushed at Ratchet's hand. He quickly uncovered her, and she leaned forward to look down at Simmons. "Just how many pieces are there? Are they still in that cave? And how long have you known about them? Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Optimus looked over at Maggie's tear-streaked face, then lowered himself to one knee, almost at eye-level with Agent Simmons. "I suggest you tell us _everything_ you know. _No_w!"


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Ok, this chapter's turned out to be the longest so far.

Warning: Contains holo-smut

* * *

"Okay, like I told you before, some of Sector Seven's oldest records were destroyed. Think it was a fire, or something," Simmons began, after they left the pasture and took cover next to an empty, run-down barn. "Anyway, it was when you first showed me your nugget that I remembered reading something about that Cube thing in my great grand-father's personal journal."

"Your great-grandfather?" Sam repeated, standing as close to Jazz as possible without getting in the way. Ratchet had gotten to work on reattaching his arm -- with help from Will and Mikaela -- and occasionally glanced over at Maggie, who sat quietly now, leaning heavily against Ironhide's head.

"You're not the only one with family connections, kid," Simmons said, annoyed by the interruption. "I had to search half a dozen rooms full of stuff. That old geezer never threw anything away." He snorted in memory. "Finally found it a couple days before that barbeque party you threw for Major Lennox."

Ratchet gave him a decidedly unfriendly look. "And still you'd said nothing."

Simmons avoided the medic's fierce glower. "Because there wasn't much to tell yet. Some of the pages were badly faded -- they are over sixty years old. I had to find someone who'd try to restore them on the sly, in case I was being watched."

"Uh-huh..." Mikaela murmured. _Geez, this guy's paranoid._

"Continue," Optimus prompted, glancing over at Maggie. She didn't appear to be aware of the conversation going on around her, and just stared, unblinking, at the far wall. It was...disturbing. "Explain how, and _why, _your people willfully damaged the All Spark?"

"I don't know _how _they did it. That wasn't mentioned in the journal. For all I know, they used something they took off of N.B.--Megatron," Simmons corrected himself, then continued. "Anyway, they'd chopped off the tip of one corner to study it, and when they all saw that it had grown back, they got a little excited. Decided to do further tests on the All Spark's regenerative power. And try to figure out how the hell it was able to do that in the first place."

_Oh, that's just wonderful. _Mikaela felt like banging her head against Bee's foot. 'Dumb' is a major understatement.

"Barbaric," Ratchet stated in a low growl.

"What, you've never taken something apart to see how it works?" Simmons glanced around at all the Autobots. _Should not have said that,_ he belatedly realized. They looked like they wanted to swat him like a fly.

_"__**No**__!" _Optimus matched Ratchet's tone; angry at the abuse the All Spark received, all because of human curiosity.

_"_It's not our fault we're not super-advanced like you guys!" Simmons insisted, defensively. "Back then we didn't have the technology that we have today."

Sam repeated Maggie's earlier question. "How many pieces are there?"

"Now that I don't know for sure. There's probably at least nine, counting the first one they cut off. But I've got a hunch there's more than that, though."

"You are certain these pieces of the All Spark are still inside Mammoth Cave?" Optimus asked, refusing to allow his own hopes to rise. Not until he sees them for himself.

"Absolutely." Simmons nodded several times. "The old guys didn't tell _anyone _outside of their circle, and had that part of the cave sealed up in 1939, to make sure nobody'd come find 'em and steal 'em. They were probably behind the fire that destroyed all those files, too, now that I think about it.

Bumblebee was also cautiously skeptical. "Did you happen to bring this mysterious journal with you?"

"Of course not!" Simmons gave him an insulted look, then patted the front of his jacket. "I made a copy."

"May we view it?" Optimus requested, when the man made no effort to produce them.

"Yeah, sure." He very carefully pulled out a bundle of papers, as if it was the fragile original journal instead of a copy.

"Thank you." Optimus nodded to Sam and Mikaela, who took the papers from Simmons and held them up, one in each hand, for the Autobots to scan and download. There were words and sections of paragraphs missing, but what was legible did support Simmons' claims. As did a crudely-drawn map, with the location of the All Spark fragments marked. That was, of course, assuming they weren't a fabrication. Simmons was quick to snatch the papers back when they were done.

Maggie slowly got up, feeling lightheaded and numb as she stared at Ironhide's darkened optics. Was there really a chance of seeing them glowing with life again? "They'll be back... The Decepticons.. They're not finished with us."

Ratchet glanced over at her again, frowning slightly, then focused on welding together the armor on Jazz's arm.

"Ok, so we'll bury the b--Ironhide, and come back for him once we get those Cube pieces out of that cave," Will suggested, giving Simmons a look that promised tremendous bodily harm if he was lying to them.

"What?? _No!_" Maggie protested, her face paling at the very idea. "You can't put him in a grave!"

As painful as it was, Optimus had to agree with Will's plan. "There is no other way to safely hide him," he said, gently picking her up when she swayed on her feet. "I am sorry, but it must be done, Maggie."

"It will not be for long," Ratchet added, with a not-quite-as-threatening look of his own at Simmons, then welded together the last two plates of armor and reactivated Jazz's pain processor.

"But..." Maggie looked around at the set expressions on their large metallic faces, then sank down in Optimus' hand. It was pointless to try to argue with them, which she really had no energy for. They couldn't exactly take Ironhide's body with them...and she didn't have a say in the matter, anyway. They were Autobots, and Optimus Prime was their leader, so it was his decision to make. "Fine..."

Optimus blinked in confusion at Maggie. She'd nodded in apparent agreement, but now looked miserable. He carefully passed her over to a waiting Ratchet. Maggie glanced briefly up at him, then looked away, hugging Ratchet's thumb tightly.

Jazz flexed his mended arm, somberly watching Optimus slowly walk over to Ironhide and lift him up.

_No sacrifice, no victory. _Sam was starting to hate that motto. His head aching fiercely now, he watched as Optimus, Jazz and Bumblebee dug a hole for Ironhide. "Can't believe this happened..."

"I know," Mikaela whispered and hugged him, glancing sympathetically up at Maggie. _Wish I could think of something to say or do to help, but Ratchet can handle that alot better._

Optimus placed Ironhide's body in the hole, glanced over at Bumblebee and nodded.

Bumblebee produced a small, round metal object from under his armor and placed it in the hole, next to Ironhide. "What's that?" Sam asked, curious.

"That is what you call a listening device. It will let us know if anyone tries to steal Ironhide's body before we come back here." Bumblebee looked steadily at Simmons during his explanation.

"No one's gonna swipe him," Simmons emphatically declared. "He's safe here."

"We will know of it, if he is not," Optimus sternly warned the man, who huffed in indignation.

Maggie rose to her knees, watching. Optimus and Bumblebee used planks of wood from the barn as a barrier, to keep the soil from getting inside Ironhide's armor. Now they, along with Jazz, filled in the hole, replacing the pulled-up brown grass last and leaving the ground looking undisturbed. _--it won't be for long, _she reminded herself.

"Should we leave something over it? Like--a marker?" Mikaela hesitantly asked.

"We will not forget this location, Mikaela," Optimus assured her, having already saved it to his memory banks, as did the others.

"I think she means it more as a sign of respect, Sir," Bumblebee informed him, looking down at Mikaela, who gave him a tiny nod.

"All right." Optimus nodded in return and looked around, singling out a large rock under a nearby tree and carrying it back the site.

Rachet moved forward as he set the rock down, looking at it for a long moment. It was peculiar; he half-expected Ironhide to burst out of the ground, complaining loudly. _He very well might complain about this, if we are able to resurrect him. If... _He refocused on the present reality, produced one of his lasers, and inscribed Ironhide's name, in Cybertronian, into one side of the rock.

Maggie watched, swaying a little, as Ratchet turned the rock over so that the symbols were hidden from view. It all seemed so final. _I __**will **__see him again, _she told herself, before passing out.

* * *

"Ramjet again?" Shockwave inquired, momentarily surprised when Skywarp suddenly appeared, carrying his fellow Seeker. That teleporting ability of his could be almost annoying at times. "He should have his entire navigational system replaced."

"Tell that to him." Skywarp shrugged, dropping the currently offlined Ramjet down near Hook and Ravage.

Mixmaster scowled at them, then paced beside the structure they'd stopped beside. The humans call it an overpass - slabs of concrete erected over a seldom-travelled road. "It is less than one vorn to what the human call 'rush hour'. The perfect time to take down that pathetic bridge!"

"I am nearly done with Ravage," Hook responded, irritated by Mixmaster's impatience. "His legs are thin, easily damaged." He welded another narrow plate of armor together. "You should have selected a sturdier form to imitate."

"No. Like this one," Ravage said, ignoring the criticism. "Repair!"

"I won't, if you insist upon distracting me from my work!"

"The bridge!" Mixmaster had tired of pacing, and was now counting the tiny cracks in the concrete. _This structure is pitifully weak, too, and must be demolished! _he decided.

"The bridge will fall, sooner or later," Scrapper told him. "Now finish with his legs, Hook."

"Or would you like to explain to Soundwave why you left Ravage crippled?" asked Sixshot.

"No.." Hook was sorely tempted to shut down his audio receptors to block out any more interruptions, but it was wiser to stay alert, especially with Shockwave present.

"We'll help you destroy that bridge in time for this rush hour event, Mixmaster," Skywarp offered.

"The sooner that is accomplished, the sooner we can rendezvous with the others in Washington, D.C.," stated Shockwave. This further delay was an inconvenience.

"Yes, yes. _After_ we see to all of San Francisco's bridges," Mixmaster reiterated.

"Very well," Shockwave agreed; there was simply no reasoning with this one.

Ravage sprang to his feet and stalked off, sitting down several yards away from them and opening a private link to Soundwave to inform him of how the attack on the Autobots ended.

Hook silently turned to his new patient, pulling open a chest panel and shutting down Ramjet's pain receptors. Now for that wing. The armor had to be heated in order to return it to it's original shape. What was left of it, that is. The top portion of the wing was gone, which will keep Ramjet grounded until it regenerated. He had no intention of wasting any of the spare parts he carried with him on this cretin.

Bored with watching Hook's repair work, since Ramjet was offline and oblivious to what would have been excruciating for him, Skywarp looked around for something more interesting. Which turned out to be Thundercracker and Dirge joining the group. He walked over to them, and opened a private line to Thundercracker. _/I think it's my turn to ask questions./_

_/I know.../_ Thundercracker nodded a greeting to the others, including Shockwave, moved away from the group, then told Skywarp about his conversation with Thunderblast.

/_Do you want to be Second-in-Command?/ _Skywarp asked, eager to see Thundercracker promoted, even though his friend had made no secret of the fact that he hated Starscream. _That will just make it all more amusing to observe_, he reasoned.

_/I have been thinking about it/ _Thundercracker admitted. _/But I do not trust Thunderblast./_

_/Of course you don't. She's probably trying to get you terminated, so she can take credit for it with Starscream/_ Skywarp conjectured_. /You won't last long against Shockwave if you challenge him. He's too powerful./_

_/I was not aware of that, thank you/_ he caustically remarked. _/I also don't think it was a challenge that Thunderblast was talking about./_

_/Meaning...an 'accident'?/ _Skywarp guessed, finally catching on. Now this piqued his interest; he always did enjoy causing 'accidents', though none that resulted in death. Not the death of a fellow Decepticon, that is. But... _/Yesss... An accident for Shockwave./_

_/Don't do anything impulsive/ _Thundercracker cautioned, then paused. _/Starscream is not worthy to be our leader. He lied about Megatron being tortured./_

_/How do you know that?/_

_/That human, Witwicky, told me./_

Skywarp shot him a look of disbelief. _/You actually believe it?/_

_/Do I have any reason to believe that Starscream is more honest than him?/ _Thundercracker answered.

_/No, I suppose not./ _Skywarp allowed, and looked back over at Hook and the others. _/That doesn't solve your problem with Shockwave./_

_/I know./_

_/Well, you have three choices. We could either kill Shockwave, before he kills you, or you can support him as Second./_

Thundercracker frowned, not much caring for either option. _/I didn't want to involve you in this./_

_/Too late. You know I'd help you any way I can. No one can spy as well as I do/ _Skywarp boasted.

_/I can think of two or three who might disagree with you/ _Thundercracker said, amused by his friend's ego. _/You said I have three choices?/_

_/It's simple./ _Skywarp's optics brightened with glee at the prospect of wreaking such havoc among the other Decepticons. _/We could kill both of them. Shockwave and Starscream./_

_

* * *

_

"Are you not hungry, Mikaela?" Bumblebee quietly asked.

"Oh..No, I am." She took a large bite of her hamburger. It'd gotten cold, but fast food never tasted as good as it did now. "Thanks again for stopping so we could get more food."

"You're welcome, 'kaela," Bee fondly replied. "You have been very quiet.."

Mikaela ate another bite of her burger, washing it down with some soda, before answering him. "I just...can't stop thinking about Ironhide, and the All Spark. Do you think Simmons is telling the truth?"

Bumblebee paused for a long moment, considering her question. "Yes, I do," he finally answered. "I think Agent Simmons is well aware that there could be...negative reactions, if he were to lie to us about something this important."

"I know I'd personally want to kick his ass," Mikaela remarked, then sighed. "I hope you're right. We just need one piece, for Ironhide."

"I'm certain that there are many pieces of the All Spark, as Agent Simmons claims," Bumblebee told her, having a feeling deep in his spark that it was indeed true.

"..thank God," she breathed, then silently finished her meal, thinking of what that means for Bee and the other Autobots.

Bumblebee spoke up again when she stuffed the empty wrappers into her bag to throw away later. "Mikaela?"

"Yes?"

"What else is troubling you?" he asked, perceptively.

Mikaela hesitated, wrapping her straw around one finger. How could she tell Bee that she was scared he'd leave her now, without sounding completely selfish?

"Mikaela?"

"Nothing, I just.. If there are a lot of pieces in that cave, it could be enough to save your planet."

"It is our hope that there are," Bee confirmed. "We'll knew for certain when we reach Mammoth Cave tomorrow morning."

"It's what you've wanted, more than anything." _And then you'll be gone... _Mikaela assumed, sadness mingled with happiness for him, as she leaned back in the driver's seat. If he was determined to go back to Cybertron -- and obviously he was, it was his home, after all -- it would be wrong to try to talk him out of it. "I'll miss you, Bee."

"No, you won't, because I'm not going to leave you." Bumblebee made that decision in an instant. Yes, he'd like to witness Cybertron being restored, but... For him, it was enough to know that it was happening. It would not bother him at all to stay a little longer on Earth. Not when he'll be spending that time with _her._

"But.. your home planet.." Mikaela trailed off. Did he say what she thought he said?

"If there are enough pieces of the All Spark, Cybertron will endure for countless more millions of years," Bee told her. "I will not mind remaining on Earth for a time, before returning."

"It'd be a short time, for you," Mikaela said, addressing another of her fears, one that hurt _alot_ just thinking about it. "We're not practically immortal like you. You know that I'm going to...I'll..." She could _not_ finish that sentence.

"Yes, I know. It would make no difference whether I choose to remain on Earth or return to Cybertron, Mikaela. I will still mourn your passing," Bumblebee reasoned, a note of sorrow in his voice for that inevitable event. Then he began to wonder if her feelings for him have changed. "I would rather stay here with you. --Do you not want me to?"

"Of _course_ I want you to stay! I just wasn't sure _you_ wanted to." _God, I sound lame, _Mikaela thought, her eyes watering. It really is possible to cry with happiness. She put her empty cup in the cup holder and reached up to stroke the steering wheel.

"I _do_ want to," Bee stated, his engine revving under her caresses.

"But won't he need you and the others to help him take the All Spark pieces to Cybertron?"

"I don't think he will request my aid: I would not be able to carry very many, due to my small size," he said, unfazed by that fact. "That is one reason why I'm a scout. One of several. I cannot speak for the others, of course, although Jazz is even smaller than I am."

"Right." Mikaela nodded, pretty sure that Jazz'll want to stay with Sam. She also had no doubt that Ironhide and Ratchet would soon come back to Earth, after helping Optimus transport the Cube pieces and get started on reviving the Autobots. She was going to miss the Autobot leader, though, a lot, but took consolation in the fact that Optimus will finally have what he's hoped for for a _very_ long time: Cybertron alive and free again. "What about the Decepticons? If they find out about the All Spark--"

"I think that is what Optimus intends to happen. Once we've collected the pieces and brought back Ironhide, he will use them to lure the remaining Decepticons away from this world."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Mikaela asked, worried about her friend's safety. "What if they catch him?"

"They won't," Bee said, with complete confidence in his leader. "There are very few Decepticons left alive on Cybertron. It will be easy for Optimus to return to our planet undetected by them."

"And bring all the Autobots back to life." She closed her eyes for a moment, incredibly relieved. _Their war will finally be over. _Smiling a little, Mikaela looked out the side window, wishing Bee was able to activate his holoform. It felt like it'd been a week since she felt his strong arms around her -- never mind that it was only about three in the afternoon now. The last few hours seemed like an eternity to her. How much more can happen in one day? Bumblebee apparently noticed her wistful expression, because his holoform appeared in the passenger seat next to her. "Bee! Remember what Ratchet said about recharging?"

"Oh." She leaned over a bit and laid her head against his shoulder. "Will you still love me when I'm gray-haired and wrinkly?" Mikaela asked, half-teasingly.

"Yes." Bee slipped an arm around her. "In fact, however your body may change, my holoform will match it."

Mikaela was speechless for a couple seconds. "You...you'd do that for me?"

He nodded, smiling at her. "Of course."

"Y--" She coughed, her throat and chest feeling tight with emotion over his gesture. "You wouldn't mind?"

"Why would I mind?" Bee was puzzled by her question. When he'd driven Mikaela, and before her, Sam, he'd observed humans in various stages of aging. He was reasonably certain that she would want their relationship to progress as realistically as any other couple's would.

"Never mind. That was a stupid question." Her smile returning, Mikaela leaned over and gave Bee a long, deep kiss. She wanted him. Right now. More than ever, despite the Decepticon threat hanging over them. Or maybe because of it.

Now that they were all on the road again, moving fast, they should be safe enough from that freaky teleporting thing. Plus, between Ratchet and Jazz, they had a pretty good warning system, so to speak. Bee had at least ten minutes of holoform time left. They should make the most of it.

Drawing back, Mikaela unbuckled her seatbelt, then leaned toward Bee again. "Now, how about I give you a proper thank you?" she said, kissing him deeply again. His eyes brightened with interest, bringing a grin to her face as she climbed over to the back seats. She didn't have to wait very long at all for him to join her.

* * *

"_**No!**_" Maggie bolted upright, looking around frantically before recognizing where she was; inside Ratchet's Hummer mode.

"Maggie?" Ratchet's holoform appeared next to the cot she was on. "I was starting to wonder when you were going regain consciousness," he said, hovering worriedly over her.

_I actually fainted?! _Maggie looked up at him. "How long was I out?"

"Eighteen minutes." He handed her a small bottle of water. "You're becoming dehydrated. Drink this."

"Thanks." Maggie opened it and took a long sip, then stared at the white bandages wrapped around her palms. _I must've cut them when... _The bottle slipped from her fingers as she burst into tears.

Ratchet caught it before it hit the floor and replaced it's cap. Alarmed by her distress, he leaned down to embrace Maggie. "It will be all right," he said in a soothing voice.

"I keep seeing it over and over in my head. They _killed_ him, and I just stood there and watched! I didn't even try to stop them!" She hiccuped and buried her face against his chest.

"I am glad that you did not," Ratchet stated, holding her close. "You would not have stood a chance against three Seekers, let alone four."

"I should have done something! Anything!"

"No." He shook his head, saying with absolute certainty, "They would have killed you, too, if you had." That was one possible result he did not want to dwell on.

"I know..." she said with a heavy sigh, though it wasn't easy to admit. "You're right, as usual."

"Yes, I am. Once we have those pieces of the All Spark, we'll be able to save Ironhide." He turned business-like as he handed her the bottle again. "Now please drink more of this water."

"Oh, all right." Maggie obediently drank a third of the bottle. "Happy now?" she asked, forcing a smile for him.

"Somewhat," Ratchet answered in an officious tone that brought a more genuine smile to her face. "However, you still need to eat something. Major Lennox told me that you'd ordered a chicken salad, so we purchased a replacement. I've kept it chilled for you."

"Thank you, Ratch'." She swung her legs over the side of the cot, looking out the rear window as Ratchet went up front for her lunch. It was snowing now; she could see large white flakes swirling between them and Optimus.

"Here it is," Ratchet said, quickly returning with the salad and a plastic fork.

"Thanks." Maggie took it from him and dug in, feeling very hungry now. _Probably watching to make sure I eat every last bit, _she guessed, when he just stood there next to the cot. A little uncomfortable at the attention, she cast about for something to distract herself with, and brushed at dirt stains on her jeans. Her right knee was bandaged, too, she realized, along with her ribs, which she didn't even remember hurting. Like everyone else, all she'd been able to think about at the time was Ironhide.

She wasn't in pain; Ratchet must have used that ointment stuff on her injuries--not that she could feel much of anything at the moment. "Just what I needed," she mused, dropping her fork into the empty salad container.

"What?" he asked, taking it and the water bottle and setting them aside.

"Something I said to Ironhide, earlier." Maggie blinked back fresh tears. "I'd wondered how you two know exactly what I need sometimes."

"Our holoforms have many sensors. We often use them to gather information," Ratchet explained, thinking again of what the All Spark endured. "Extensive studying is our way of learning, and is not destructive."

Maggie stared at Ratchet, who'd sounded scornful to her ears. "As opposed to how we lowly humans have gone about it." She tried to be not bitter, reminded yet again of how different they were. "They didn't know what they were doing, Ratch'."

Ratchet frowned, taken aback. She was defending those humans' actions? "Ignorance is not an excuse."

Maggie tried to stay calm, but something in her just snapped. "Well, I'm sorry that we're all so bloody _inferior _to you!"

Surprised by her outburst, he stepped closer to the cot. "I did not say you were inferior, Maggie."

"But it's true, right?" Another disturbing thought came to her. "My God... Is _that_ what you and Ironhide were doing the last few months? Just..._analyzing_ me??" Maggie demanded, jumping up from the cot and backing away from him. "I am _not_ your personal lab rat!"

"Of course you are not!" Ratchet loudly exclaimed, bewildered by such an absurd accusation.

"Stop, both of you." Optimus' calm, projected voice echoed inside the Hummer. "As much as we may dislike what was done, Ratchet, the humans' past actions have given us hope again. Maggie...you know that that is _not _how we feel about you."

"Yes, Sir," Ratchet said, deferentially, to his leader, then turned back to Maggie. "I have _never_ regarded you as a laboratory rodent."

"Ratch'..." Maggie winced when his holoform abruptly vanished. He looked so hurt and disappointed. _**Why**__ did I say that?! _she wondered, feeling utterly wretched now.

"This has been a very difficult day for all of us," Optimus quietly pointed out, then fell silent, leaving them to work out their conflict themselves.

"I'm sorry, Ratch'. I didn't mean it." Maggie nervously fiddled with the bandages when he didn't answer right away. "Please come back." A second later his holoform reappeared in front of her, hands clasped behind his back. "I shouldn't have flipped out like that. I am _so_ sorry," she said again.

"I apologize for upsetting you, Maggie." he replied with a weary sadness as he put his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head. "Today has been traumatic, as Optimus said."

"Yes..." Maggie murmured and hugged him tightly, but it felt like she just couldn't get close enough to him. It was frustrating.

"Maggie?" She looked up at him, apprehensive. "Approximately six months ago, I asked you to be my mate, not some sort of experiment. You do know that?" Ratchet asked, still troubled by what she'd said.

Maggie bit her lip at his tense expression and nodded vigorously. "Yes. I do."

"Good." Ratchet relaxed, gazing intensely at Maggie before kissing her. She responded eagerly, pressing her body against his. He drew back just long enough to swiftly remove her sweater and toss it aside.

She sighed, eyes drifting closed, as he gradually worked his way down her neck, tracing over the small bruises there. _Ironhide... _Maggie tugged his head back up. "We_ will_ get him back."

"Yes, we _will_," he said and kissed her again, more urgently this time. Tugging at his clothing, which vanished as he removed them for her, Maggie's hands glided up Ratchet's back, fingers kneading the 'muscles'. She grabbed onto his shoulders for balance when he lifted her up and set her down on the cot. He turned his attention to the rest of her clothes, and her pheromone level spiked even higher. Ratchet ran his hands over her bare legs, sliding inward to press his thumbs against the backs of her knees.

"G--Primus!" she gasped out at the jolt of pleasure that gave her, slumping backward onto the cot and pulling him down with her.

He paused, momentarily surprised by that, wondering who told her about Primus. Ironhide, most likely. Careful of her bruised ribs, Ratchet settled on top of Maggie and pushed into her, as far as possible without causing discomfort. "Primus," he echoed when her muscles contracted once in response.

"Uhn..yes..." Maggie whimpered, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him wildly, feeling him slowly moving deep inside...so _very _deep...driving her right over the edge. She jerked up against him as she came, nails digging into his shoulders. "_Ratch'_!"

"_Primus_," he growled, as her body clenched tightly around him, and gently pressed her back down, thrusting hard and fast. Maggie writhed beneath him as she climaxed again, then a third time, nearly screaming out his name at the end.

"Oh...my..." she whispered afterward, feeling a trifle dizzy from that overwhelming experience. _Breathe. Must breathe._

"Maggie?" Ratchet withdrew, concerned that he may have inadvertently harmed her in his zeal.

"I'm...okay.." Maggie blinked up at him. "You're...scanning me.."

"Yes... That does seem to be a habit I've developed lately," Ratchet admitted with a chagrined smile. "How did you know?"

"It's kind of a tingly feeling."

"Hmm." He maneuvered them both over so that she was on top of him now. Maggie lay quietly for a few minutes, looking off into space. Ratchet eventually broke the silence, curious at her distant expression. "What are you thinking?"

"Oh. Uhm.. I was thinking about the All Spark," she told him, reluctantly, since that was such a sore subject. "Was it powerful enough to destroy Earth?"

Ratchet nodded, determined to suppress his anger over that around her. "It very well could have. A large part of it, at least."

"But it didn't..." Maggie tapped her fingers on his stomach, mulling it over. "I wonder if it knew what was going to happen to it, in Mission City. I mean, it created you, and you've got a psychic ability. So maybe the All Spark did, too."

"That is an interesting theory," Ratchet said slowly, thinking of how little they knew about the All Spark.

"Mmm... Thanks. I've got lots of those." She smiled and kissed his chin. "You know what's really ironic?"

"No... What?" he asked, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Mmm..." Maggie closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the massage. "If it wasn't for Starscream, we might never have known about what Sector Seven did to the All Spark."

"Hrmph," Ratchet grumped, in a near-perfect imitation of Ironhide. "I don't think I'll feel inclined to thank him for that, if I happen to meet him again."

"Neither would I," she concurred, and looked out the window. "Where are we?"

"We'll be passing Denver in twenty-two minutes, unless there are road accidents to impede us."

_Hope there aren't any_. The snow was coming down harder now, though. She almost shivered just thinking about it, even though Ratchet kept a comfortable temperature inside the vehicle. "I think I should put my clothes back on..."

"All right," he said, and let her up, after a long kiss that almost changed her mind.

* * *

"--that thing's not coming back, is it?" Sam asked, growing nervous when Jazz's holoform kept _looking _at him.

"They took Ramjet with 'em, so they're probably regrouping while he's bein' repaired. Which'll take a while, from what I saw of him," Jazz answered, noticing the argument he could heard coming from inside the Hummer via his audio receptors. _--not a good sign... _"That'll give us extra time to get farther away from 'em."

"Okay, good," Sam said, relieved. His headache was finally gone, thanks to the painkillers packed away in Maggie's bag, and the food he was finally able to eat.

Jazz paused for half a minute, wrestling with a resurgence of guilt. "I'm sorry about what happened, Sam." The car vibrated a little with the force of his sigh. "I'm almost got all of us sl--killed."

"Huh?" Sam turned and stared at him, astounded. "Those monsters were after me because I killed Megatron! It's my fault Ironhide's dead!"

"No, it's mine, Sam," countered Jazz. "I'm the one who thought I could talk Thundercracker into letting you go. Could've sworn he was listening to me... I made a mistake. A huge one."

"You were trying to save me! It's not _your_ fault they were gonna play dirty like that!"

"I should've expected it," he insisted. _Although...Thundercracker did try to warn us, _he recalled. "You didn't have any choice offing Megatron, so stop blaming yourself for what's happened."

"Okay, I will. As soon as you stop, too," declared Sam, crossing his arms for emphasis.

"Sam?"

"Jazz?"

"Why are we arguing about it?"

"Dunno.." Sam's mouth twitched as he also realized how dumb they were being. "Maybe 'cause we're both stubborn jerks?"

"Who're you callin' stubborn?" Jazz demanded with feigned indignation, which got a short chuckle from Sam. And, as he'd half-expected, Optimus intervened with Ratchet and Maggie.

"How 'bout we just agree to disagree?" Sam offered, holding out a hand. "Deal?"

"Sure, Sam." Jazz shook his hand; it was obvious that Sam wasn't going to budge in this blame game they'd gotten stuck in. _If Simmons is telling the truth -- and he'd __**better**__ be -- I'll be able to fix the mess I made..._

"Thanks." Sam hesitated, then blurted out, "He asked me about Megatron."

"Thundercracker?" Jazz looked at him again. "What did he want to know?"

"Well, first he asked me if I was the one who killed Megatron, and wrecked the Cube. I told him I was. That was after I...uhh...threw my drink in his face," Sam confessed, almost squirming in anticipation of Jazz's reaction.

"--you did _what_?" Jazz's eyes widened in astonishment.

"I still had that cup of Pepsi, so I...you know..."

"Okay. That was--"

"Idiotic," Sam said, still waiting for some kind of explosion.

"Was gonna say 'gutsy', actually," Jazz corrected with a fleeting smile. "What else did Thundercracker say to you?"

"Uh..." Sam forced his brain to start working again. "He brought up Megatron getting tortured. I kinda told him that wasn't true...which it could be. He didn't look too happy about that. Don't know why he dumped me in that bush, instead of killing me..." Sam mumbled, confused by the Decepticon's action.

"Huh..." Jazz said, thoughtful, and passed that information on to Optimus, Ratchet and Bumblebee. /_Looks like someone's not thrilled with Starscream takin' over_./

_/Yes/ _Optimus replied, none-too-pleased with the development. /_It would be to our advantage if the Decepticons continue under the Starscream's leadership. He is far more prone to make errors than Shockwave./_

_/Yeah.../_ _Never thought I'd be rooting for that cowardly spot of rust, _Jazz noted with grim humor.

"Wha----" Sam's mouth dropped open when he looked over at the Camaro next to Jazz, and caught a brief glimpse of the couple in the back seat. "They..."

"They who?"

"Bee and Mikaela are--" Sam's face turned beet red and he stared fixedly out the front windshield.

"Having sex," Jazz casually finished Sam's sentence.

Sam found himself gaping again. "You don't think it's...weird?"

"Nah... We're real good at multi-tasking, and we get how you guys need physical interaction sometimes," Jazz said, using a more polite phrasing, since Sam was so flustered.

"I guess..." _Bee should tint his windows darker, or... Geez, I sounded like a prude!_

"Ratchet and Maggie are at it, too, now," Jazz mentioned, to prove his point.

Caught off guard by that volunteered info, Sam said the first thing that came to mind. "Is there anyone that isn't having sex?"

"Besides us, you mean? Will and Optimus aren't. They're talking about Qatar."

"I sure hope so, since Will's married with a kid!"

"Yeah, he is." Jazz nodded. "Don't think it's Will Lennox that Optimus would like to mate with, anyway."

"Huh? What?" Sam's eyes widened. _Did he just say that Optimus is hung-up on someone? Optimus?? No way!_

"Nothin'. Doesn't really matter now, I guess." Jazz shrugged and changed the subject, saying in a dramatically depressed voice, "So you'd probably complain if I said I'd like to pounce you and drag you to the back seats?"

That was so like Jazz -- always outrageous, no matter how bad things get. Sam looked down, hands shaking a little as his mind replayed that horrible attack. "..I was sure they'd killed you..."

"Hey.. I'm still here, Sam." Jazz reached over and grasped his left hand. "----I did think we were all goners there, though..."

"Yeah..." Sam took a deep breath, let it out. "A little physical interaction doesn't sound like such a bad idea right now."

"You sure you're ready for that?" asked Jazz, uncertain. Ratchet had examined Sam thoroughly and, except for a migraine that was easily remedied, found nothing wrong, thankfully. But that teleporting had to have been rough on him all the same.

"I honestly don't know what I'm ready for," Sam admitted. "Let's just take it slow, okay?"

"Sure, Sam. Whatever you want." Jazz unhooked the seatbelt for him and shifted his holoform to the back of the car.

_Wish I could do that, _Sam thought, feeling clumsy as he struggled to get past the gap between the front seats. Jazz helpfully pulled him through, then down on top of him. "Thanks," he said, getting comfy, his back pressed against Jazz's chest.

"Welcome." Jazz put his arms around Sam, having no problem with them both just chilling out together. "This ok?"

"Uh-huh... It's g--great," Sam said, fighting back a yawn. It was getting hard to keep his eyes open now.

"Tired, huh? Well, we've all been through alot today." He got some soft music playing for Sam. "You'll feel better after a nap."

"Nap...yeah.." Sam's eyes drifted closed. "Thanks, Jazz."

"Welcome. Maybe you'll be up for more _physical_ interaction later," Jazz said, teasing him.

"Sure. I'd like that. Later." Sam teased him back with a good wriggle before falling asleep.

_Ok, so I might've had that coming. _Jazz rolled his eyes at himself, and wondered if Sam was serious. What he needed right now, though, was an hour or two of sleep. _Hopefully uninterrupted_, he amended, watching over Sam.

* * *

"Skywarp, take care of these ones," Shockwave ordered, as two more black helicopters appeared in the distance, heading in their direction. Another attempt by the humans to locate them.

"Yes, Commander Shockwave," Skywarp said in a subdued voice, still miffed by Thundercracker's quick rejection of his ideas, and teleported. For some reason his friend was becoming reluctant to kill -- the fastest and most effective solution to any problem, in his opinion. If only Megatron was still alive...

He reappeared directly in front of the helicopters. The shocked, terrified looks on the pilots' faces just before he fired on them didn't do much to soothe his wounded pride. Humans all reacted the exact same way to this trick, and it was starting to bore him.

"That was quickly dealt with," Shockwave noted when Skywarp returned to the group.

"Thank you, Commander Shockwave." Skywarp's optics flicked toward Thundercracker, who looked disgruntled, then he turned as Starscream approached from the south. _This should be interesting._

"What is the reason for this delay?" Starscream landed and transformed near them, turning towards Thundercracker. "Skywarp informed me that there was an unexpected problem regarding the Autobots?"

"Not unexpected, exactly," Skywarp interceded when Thundercracker stared at him. "Ramjet was damaged during our attack, but we did kill the Autobot named Ironhide."

"He was their Weapons Specialist." Starscream smiled, pleased with that outcome. It was a devastating loss for Optimus Prime. "That is a very good plan, Thundercracker. We shall pick off the Autobots one at a time."

"And their humans!" Ravage demanded, then wished he'd kept silent at the look he received.

Starscream marched over and picked the drone up by it's neck. "Where is your master?" he angrily demanded.

"Do not know!" Ravage let himself hang limply. As much as he wanted to, shredding the new leader's arms would not be wise.

"You haven't spoken with him?"

"Yes. Have reported twice. Soundwave not tell whereabouts. Said no more contact until--"

Starscream squeezed hard enough to dent Ravage's armor. "Until what?"

"He will not be able to answer your questions if you damage his vocal processor," Shockwave observed.

"That would anger Soundwave, as well," pointed out Sixshot.

"I'm sure Starscream wants to avoid causing that," Thundercracker blandly remarked, not passing up on a chance to needle him.

Starscream glared at them. Did they think he was _afraid_ of Soundwave? "Until what?" he repeated the question, and for a moment was seriously tempted to execute Ravage, to punish Soundwave_. Perhaps later, when he's present to witness it._

"Until Frenzy found. Not before!"

_Frenzy?! _Starscream fumed, dropping Ravage. Soundwave broke rank because of his missing drone? If Frenzy isn't already dead, he might kill it himself, for all of the trouble it's caused him.

"There are more important matters that need attending to!" Mixmaster stepped forward, launching into another tirade. "The humans' bridges must be eradicated at once! The materials used are extremely weak, the designs are insultingly faulty!"

"I told him we'd help him destroy San Francisco's bridges," Skywarp informed Starscream.

Starscream gave him a scathing look. "Of _course _you did."

"Have you examined the structure we're underneath? It is disgusting! Degrading even as we speak!"

"_**Silence**_!" Starscream snarled, having had enough of Mixmaster's rantings. "We will destroy this, along with those bridges in San Francisco that you're so _obsessed _with! But after that, if I hear one more _word _from you about the humans' architecture, I will have Hook remove your vocal processor and melt it down for _scrap_! Is that understood?!"

"Yes, Lord Starscream," Mixmaster hastily said, his voice crackling a little, and put more distance between himself and the infuriated leader.

"Good!" Starscream turned to the Seekers. "Skywarp, return to Los Angeles and take Shrapnel, Thunderblast and Shortround to that Golden Bridge. We'll meet you there."

"...yes, Lord Starscream," Skywarp grumbled, not looking forward to completing that errand. At least with his teleporting ability, he'll be able to keep his contact with those three to a minimum.

"This will be quite easy to demolish," Scrapper said, inspecting the structure himself.

"Then I suggest you get out of the way," Starscream warned, and fired at the overpass behind Scrapper, who moved just in time, scowling at his leader.

"Extremely flimsy construction," Hook criticized, watching it collapse into numerous pieces. A green truck that happened to be crossing it at the time rolled over twice and landed in the creek. Ravage immediately bounded over to it.

Thundercracker turned away as Ravage dispatched the truck's two helpless, and screaming, occupants. _How long will this disgraceful vendetta continue? _he wondered as he checked on Ramjet's wing, which was intact enough now that he should be able to fly again.

"Now that that's finished, we can finally see to these bridges of yours, Mixmaster. Shockwave can carry you and Scrapper. Sixshot, you and Thundercracker take the others. After San Francisco, which will _not_ take long, we'll go to the Washington City," Starscream ordered, then transformed and flew off, leading the way north.


	9. Chapter 9

_"_What _are_ you doing?_" _A curious Thunderblast watched Shrapnel return to their hiding spot under the Bridge carrying a largely-built male human in his jaws, one that he'd ambushed on a nearby jogging path.

"Needed a human to copy copy." Shrapnel dropped the limp body and transformed to robotic form.

"Why?" she questioned as he ripped away it's clothing. The human was very much dead, but still intact. Shrapnel must have electrocuted it.

"For a holoform, holoform," he said, scanning the human's body. "Make it easier to catch more humans to play with with."

"I'm sure it will." Thunderblast shrugged and walked back down to the water's edge, to Skywarp and Shortround; the latter appeared to be jealous that she talked to someone else instead of him. _Of all the Decepticons to keep company with... _she mused, faking a smile for Shortround's benefit. Shrapnel obviously suffered from some sort of defect in programming. Skywarp had a tendency to cause problems for his own amusement, while Shortround--

Joining sparks with him was revoltingly insipid; nothing at all like it had been with Starscream. That was one experience Thunderblast actually would like to repeat, to her surprise. _Perhaps I'll help him retain his position as leader after all._

"It's about time," Skywarp complained as Starscream and the others finally appeared and joined the small group, even though it'd taken them less than two cycles to reach San Francisco.

"We cannot instantly teleport like you," an irritated Sixshot reminded him. "There were also four helicopters that crossed our path."

"I hope those did not give you too much trouble.." Thunderblast remarked, looking over at Thundercracker, who seemed preoccupied.

"None at all. Helicopters are slow machines," Dirge answered, studying a reddish structure spanning the body of water. "This is the Golden Gate Bridge?"

"Yes, and we're just in time for this Rush Hour event," Scrapper told him. "There are hundreds of land vehicles crossing it right now."

_Accelerating it's deterioration as we speak_! Mixmaster thought, and started down toward the large support beams. "We must strike now!"

"This will result in a substantial number of human casualties," Shockwave pointed out.

"Is that so?" remarked Thundercracker, carefully concealing his disgust, although Skywarp did give him a sidelong look. /_What?_/

/_You may not like this, but we still have to follow Starscream's orders, for now,_/ Skywarp answered.

/_Yes, I know.._.

"Autobots and their humans must die, too!" Ravage reminded them all.

_"_Can we possibly get started on the bridge now?" an impatient Long Haul asked, arms crossed sullenly over his chest. Los Angeles, in his opinion, had been a miserable failure. The Seekers had toppled nearly all of the towering buildings themselves, with no consideration to their land-bound comrades who might have wanted their fair share. He was not going to forget that slight any time soon.

"We didn't come here to admire the view," added Sixshot.

Starscream's processors nearly ached with frustration. Why was it that some of the last surviving Decepticons felt it necessary to spend much of their time bickering? He would love to see the lot of them dropped into a deep trench, so he could return to Cybertron to rule unhindered. Maybe that could be arranged...

"Dirge and Sixshot, take the Constructicons to the other end of this bridge. Thunderblast, Shortround, Shrapnel and Ravage will take down this side of it. My Seekers and I, and Shockwave, will spread out over the bridge's length, targeting the support beams. Go!" He watched with satisfaction as they all quickly obeyed, even Shockwave, then transformed and flew out to the center of the bridge. Mixmaster was correct about the weak construction, he realized, with moderate interest. With just two missiles from each Decepticon, the humans' pride and joy came crashing down.

Elated, Mixmaster watched as the entire bridge collapsed. The thunderous groan was music to his audio receptors, and the impressively large splash was a glorious sight to behold. He hoped the other bridges' destruction will be as satisfying as this one. It made his spark pulse with triumph.

_Another spectacular victory..._ Thundercracker thought sourly. Hundreds of vehicles fell into the water with the bridge, and promptly sank. It was unfortunate that none appeared capable of floating. There may be a chance that many of the human passengers could be saved from drowning, however; numerous boats dotted both shore. _But not if we linger here... _He put as much enthusiasm as he could tolerate into his voice. /_Where is the next bridge, Lord Starscream?/_

_/Mixmaster, send us the coordinates of all the other bridges in this city/ _Starscream ordered, then decided to divide everyone into four groups, in order to complete the bridge missions swiftly. /_Sixshot, since you've been eager for the chance, you will have the honor of tracking down Optimus Prime and depriving him of another lieutenant once we're finished here. Also, find out where they are going. I am curious about what Optimus Prime is planning. Rejoin us in Washington City afterward./_

_/Yes, Lord Starscream./ _Sixshot hovered just long enough for the eager Ravage to hook claws into his frame before flying off toward the East.

"Shall I take you to the Oakland Bay Bridge?" Thundercracker made the offer to Thunderblast; whether he liked it or not, it was in his best interests to be friendly to her -- her loyalties were known to fluctuate. She looked surprised for a moment, then smiled at the overture.

"Yes, I would appreciate that," Thunderblast replied. His company was preferable over Skywarp's any cycle. Her mood darkened when Shortround interjected himself into the conversation.

"You can take both of us," he said, his jealousy making it sound more like a command than a request.

"_You_ can ask Ramjet to take you," she coolly said, turning away from Shortround. At the moment he was about as interesting to her as an empty spark casing. Shortround glowered at Thundercracker before stomping off to ask Dirge for transportation.

Thundercracker ignored Shortround's glare, transformed to jet mode and waited patiently for Thunderblast to chose a secure handhold. She took her time at it, trailing a hand over one wing. A slight tremor ran through his metal frame, despite his efforts to remain still, when she rubbed the shoulder joint, a particularly sensitive area. /_Don't say anything/_ he grouchily told a smirking Skywarp, as Thunderblast finally stopped 'playing' and took a firm hold.

_/All right, if you insist.../ _Skywarp said, highly amused by that, as he followed them with his own passengers, Scavenger and Hook.

* * *

"Can anyone explain this to me?" Simmons loudly demanded, twisting his seatbelt as if he wanted to strangle something in his agitation. "Those things have taken down every damn bridge in Frisco and Oakland, but skipped all the buildings."

"Every bridge?" Mikaela, fully dressed again and lying on the back seats with Bee, bolted upright. "Even the--"

"Golden Gate Bridge was the first to go."

"...oh my God..." she whispered, horrified. That was one of the busiest bridges in the country! Bumblebee sat up as well, and rubbed her arms to comfort her. Mikaela gratefully gripped his hands tightly.

"The loss of those bridges will have left many humans stranded," a somber Ratchet said.

/_Making 'em sitting ducks/ _Jazz sent to them over a link, not wanting to wake Sam just yet.

"Except that now they've just up and left," Simmons reported. "Looks like the bridges were all they were after."

_/Okay, that is weird/ _remarked Jazz.

"Very odd," Optimus added, also perplexed by Starscream's strategy. "Perhaps this is a ruse.. In what direction did the Decepticons leave?"

"East," Will answered, who now had his cell phone glued to his ear. "The Air Force sent jets to try to intercept them, but the bastards are too damn fast."

"They're coming after us again?" Mikaela nervously asked, trying to remember how much ammunition they had left. _Thank God those things are leaving the rest of California alone... _

"Good question. What do you make of it, Sniffer?" Simmons asked Ratchet.

"His _name_ is _Ratchet_," Maggie snapped at him.

"Ok, sorry. Ratchet," Simmons said contritely. "What do you make of it, Ratchet?"

Ratchet answered after a long moment of deliberation. "I sense that most of the Decepticons have another destination in mind, further East of us."

"They have learned of the Cube?" Optimus asked, with a surge of alarm.

"No, they haven't," Ratchet quickly said. "That discovery would have generated some level of excitement, which I do _not_ sense from them. However...I fear that there is at least one that is very intent on finding us."

"Told you all the records about the Cube pieces were destroyed..." Simmons grumbled. "Anyway, we'll keep trying to track them by radar..." _...sure would help if the Autobots could fly, too... _he thought to himself.

Will turned off his cell phone and tucked it away."The National Guard's been called up to L.A. to restore order. There's been reports of looting going on."

"...damn criminals..." Simmons muttered under his breath.

"We're gonna need more grenades, Will," Mikaela told him.

"Yeah, I've already requested some. My contacts said they'll see what they can do, but can't promise anything now," Will replied, a little frustrated with not getting an affirmative right away. They did have a lot to deal with, he had to admit. Those damned Decepticons kept on the move, which kept the Air Force to getting another crack at them.

"Is there news on how many died on the bridges?" Optimus quietly asked.

Simmons grimaced in anticipation of bad news in that department. "Not yet. Won't know that until the Coast Guard gets some divers down there. They're sending every one they can find."

"A lot of them might've had their windows up.." Mikaela added, hoping that that might help those poor people, somehow.

"It could possibly provide enough time for them to be rescued alive, depending on how water-proof their vehicles are," Ratchet speculated, trying to sound positive.

"Heads up, guys. Those ten newbies have just landed," announced Simmons.

"Where?" Optimus was quick to ask.

"Different spots.. Half a mile to three miles from your old base," Simmons told him. "We lost 'em."

"What do you mean, you lost them?" Maggie asked, worried.

"Lost track of them. They've managed to disappear...some kind of shielding, maybe.." Simmons gave a helpless shrug. "At least we're able to keep them out of the news so far."

_/Must not be more Decepticons, then, or the others would've waited for them/ _Jazz said, his hopes rising.

"Unless they've already received ordered from Starscream," guessed Bumblebee.

Mikaela nervously tapped her fingers on her leg. "But they _could_ be Autobots, right?"

"There's no way you guys can call them and find out?" Will asked.

_/Nope. Not a good idea to try to open a link to 'em without knowing who they are/ _Jazz told him.

"So once they get their bearings and realize it's safe...sort of..they'll get in touch with you," Maggie hesitantly suggested. "They did only get here like a minute ago."

"If they are Autobots, they'll likely be extremely cautious, once they discover our base was destroyed," Optimus pointed out, then paused, debating the risks of sending out a signal to them. Not knowing precisely who they are was _frustrating. _But, as Maggie said, they would need a little time to adjust after landing on a strange new world. They may contact the humans' government, who he hoped will not decide to try to detain them.

Right now, there was that other problem that needed to be dealt with. Optimus opened a private link, after accessing a weather Website through Simmons' computer. /_Denver is currently shut down due to a sudden blizzard; some sections of the city will be deserted. We stand a better chance of evading whoever is hunting us so persistently there than on the road. ---It would be safer for our humans to be elsewhere if the Decepticon does find us/ _Optimus recommended, at length.

_/You're not suggesting that we separate, are you, Sir?/ _asked a fretful Bumblebee.

_/There's no way they'll go along with that_/ Jazz said dryly.

_/No. It would not be safe for them to be on their own now at any rate/ _Optimus reassured them both. /_I'm merely suggesting that they have no direct involvement if there is another battle. I do __**not**__ want further harm come to them./_

/_Neither do I, but_ _I doubt we'll be able to convince them/_ Ratchet pondered the matter.

_/They are in need of warmer garments, however./_

_/From what I've seen, shopping is a long, preoccupying ritual for many humans/_ Bumblebee volunteered, speaking from personal experience with Mikaela.

_/The 16th Street Mall looks like a good spot./ _Jazz shared the information he downloaded about it.

_/We'll stop there, then/ _Optimus decided, following Ratchet when he turned off onto the next exit.

/_Think it might be Thundercracker again?/ _Jazz asked Optimus.

/_It's possible. I would like an opportunity to speak to him./_

/_Yeah... Me, too._/ Jazz closed the link, and set about waking the snoring Sam.

* * *

A dripping sound, distant and constant, was the first thing his audio processors picked up as Frenzy slowly came out of stasis. Then he heard the usual din of humans talking in that crude guttural language of theirs.

He started to rise to a sitting position, which was all he could manage in what little space there was in his glass-like prison, then went perfectly still, expecting yet more blasts of freezing mist. But they didn't come. Did the ever-watchful humans somehow not notice his movement? Apparently not. Frenzy very slowly lifted his head, studying his new surroundings.

He was in a huge, strange-looking room: Oddly shaped rocky columns rose from the floor and hung from the ceiling. What purpose those might serve, Frenzy had no idea. There was no sign of Blackout, which gave him a strong feeling of dread, since the humans had kept them together until now. That must mean they disposed of his friend! _Filthy insects will pay for this!_ Frenzy thought with savage hatred.

It took a moment before more of his processors and systems began operating again, barely, and he focused on what had the humans so distracted.

"...you don't understand. We need N.B.E. 3 relocated as soon as possible..." a brown-haired human was saying on some kind of communications device. "As far away from here as possible, in case those new ones find out about it and come looking..."

There are more Decepticons on this cursed world? Of course! It was his protector, searching for him. Frenzy _had _to stop the humans from moving him. He had been set down near the entrance to this strange room and he could see the outside, where a white substance was falling from the sky above.

Rerouting power to his motor functions, Frenzy slammed his head against one of the walls of his cell. It took three lightning-fast blows to shatter it, and he was free. He flung himself to the ground and half-walked, half-crawled away-- his legs were not functioning properly. The humans must have damaged them, and it slowed him down significantly. If he could just get outside...

"It's loose!" a human shouted. "Stop it!"

Frenzy had just reached the 'doorway' when his legs were grabbed. Screeching, he twisted around and struck out at the human, his razor-sharp fingers slashing it's throat. Warm red liquid splattered across his metal body, and he could hear other humans shouting about him killing that one, Steve, it was called. He turned back to his goal and skittered forward, making it outside. The ground, and everything else in sight, was covered with a thick layer of that strange white substance. Disoriented, he stopped and looked all around, bewildered over which way to go. Where was he??

Four humans quickly caught up with Frenzy, spraying him with that painful mist. He shrieked, desperately sending out a message to Him. _/So...Sw...Swindle!/ _

_/Frenzy!/ _came a reply.

/_H-help.../_

"You idiots! I told you to keep an eye on it!" The human in charge shouted. "Put it back under! Now!"

The human in charge was talking faster through that device. "No, it's been kept docile... you heard wrong... just listen... Don't hang up!... _Dammit!_ They won't take it now, and I don't know who else to call." It closed the device with a sharp snap and glared at Frenzy. "Get it under control and take it back inside! I'll be back later, after I find out what the hell we're supposed to do with it now."

Frenzy chortled when his gamble payed off, then the humans closed in on him again and his laugh turned to another shriek. His systems were shutting down, but that didn't entirely dampen his triumph. _Swindle will find me now...and all the insects will __**die, **_he vowed, before dropping offline.

* * *

/_Frenzy?!/ _Soundwave replied, surprised by the sudden contact, and immediately began tracing the very weak signal.

_/H-help..._/

/_Frenzy!_/ he sent again, but received no further reply. All he could sense now was that same blankness he'd previously encountered. Why would he call out to a Decepticon he'd had minimal contact with in the past? Swindle hadn't responded to any of Starscream's summons, and for all anyone knew, he'd been killed by an Autobot long ago. _--unless he followed us to this world in secret, at a distance, _Soundwave reconsidered. But what possible reason could he have to do so? He opened a private link for confirmation. /_**Swindle! Report!**_/

Nothing. Swindle would have responded to that, and therefore was _not_ on Earth. Yet Frenzy called for him. This made no sense at all to Soundwave.

"We attack base?" Buzzsaw unfolded his wings impatiently, perched on a tall cactus plant with Laserbeak.

"No." Soundwave looked in the direction of the Air Force base, where heavily-armed humans patrolled it's perimeter. There were three tanks also standing ready on this side of the base. "Someone has warned them about us," he added, vexed that he'd apparently been careless and left a human alive during his last search. "I have, however, received a puzzling message from Frenzy."

"Frenzy not dead??" Laserbeak exclaimed, bouncing from one foot to another. "Where Frenzy?"

Ratbat swooped down and landed on Soundwave's right shoulder. "Puzzling how?"

"Frenzy is alive, as of one cycle ago. It is puzzling because his message was apparently meant for Swindle."

"Swindle?" Buzzsaw repeated, perplexed. "Swindle here? Swindle help Frenzy?"

"No, Swindle is not here. Frenzy must be---confused. The humans had silenced him again."

"Humans hurt Frenzy!" Ratbat snarled.

"_Humans!_" Laserbeak repeated, and all three made hissing sounds of rage. "Kill humans!"

"We shall," Soundwave assured them, nodding. "All of them."

"Know where Frenzy is?" asked Ratbat, eager to be off.

"I had enough time to trace the signal to within one hundred miles of his general location, before the humans interfered." Soundwave opened his chest panel for them. "Now transform and recharge. We are heading East."

* * *

"This is illegal. You do know that, right?" Simmons griped, as Jazz knelt down to disconnect the store's security system. "So's stealing. You're breaking all kinds of laws."

Mikaela rolled her eyes as she waited, shivering, in the wind-blown snow. _What the hell put such a big stick up his ass about criminals?_ she wondered.

"We'll leave money for whatever we take," Will told Simmons, rubbing his hands together and stamping his feet. "Fair enough?"

"I suppose..."

"Sounds fair to m-me," Maggie said, trying to keep her teeth from chattering, and wistfully eying a closed coffee shop across the street.

"Ok, you're in," Jazz announced, as the doors unlocked.

"Thank you!" Sam hugged his left foot in relief before dashing in out of the cold.

Jazz smiled at his fleeing human. "Lemme know if you need into another store, and stay together, guys."

"Will do. Thanks, Jazz." Mikaela and the others nodded to him as they followed Sam inside.

"Welcome." Jazz moved a little ways down the street and transformed back into car mode, letting the snow pile on top of him to complete the disguise as a regular human vehicle.

"Ok, troops, let's make this quick," Will ordered, after getting the lights turned on. "Before someone notices. Everyone knows what sizes to look for in their assigned departments?

"Yes, Sir!" Sam made a beeline for the shoe department.

Maggie looked through the winter coats. _Too bulky...too heavy... _She found a rack of lighter ones. _These are a lot better..good insulation...reasonably priced... _"--I wonder if Jazz could sneak us into some hotel rooms, just for ten minutes or so. We could all use a nice hot shower, I'm sure."

"I know I would!" Sam whole-heatedly agreed.

"Me, too!" Mikaela chimed in from the sweatsuits section.

"..not a bad idea..." Simmons muttered as he picked out five hats and gloves, not far from where Mikaela was. She turned and gave him an astounded look. "What? I'm just saying, after today's exertions..."

"Sure." Mikaela turned back to the clothes with a bemused smile. He wasn't a complete freak after all. She picked out two sets of sweats, one a dark gray and the other dark blue, then moved to the men's section for three more sets.

"Yeah, that'd be good. We can ask him when we're done," Will said, standing guard by the open doors. A shower would help them all stay alert.

"Got the boots," Sam announced, gathering up only four pairs, since Will was wearing his Army-issued ones.

"We're almost done here," Maggie answered. "Can you grab some thick socks, too, Sam?"

"Sure thing, Maggie." He went over and snagged some for everyone. "Ok, all done.''

"Same here."

"Me, too." Simmons said, joining the organized group.

"Yes, sir." Sam contributed to the pile of money placed next to the cash register - those little rewards they'd gotten from the government after Mission City were really coming in handy -- then helped bag the clothes and boots. "Jazz?" he called out in a hushed voice once they were outside.

A snow-covered car started half a block up and drove backward to them. "That was fast," Jazz observed, and noticed something cross the street a block away. _What was that? _He increased the strength of his sensors. _Just some poor stray dog...Hope it finds someplace warm.. _He still felt jittery over it, almost as if he could feel something watching. It was probably just paranoia, but he alerted the others, though, just in case.

"Went like clockwork," Will said, smiling at how smoothly the operation went. "Maggie was wondering if we can stop at a hotel to shower. Any chance that's doable?"

_/I don't sense anything, either/ _Ratchet said. /_Skywarp would not stray far from his fellow Seekers. It may be Ravage that is hunting us. He has a talent for camouflaging himself in shadows./_

"Hang on." Jazz paused a moment to consult Optimus. /_Yo'. How 'bout takin' our humans to a hotel? They could get some down time there while we're waitin' to see if any Decepticons show up. _/

/_Bright lights are a strong deterrent against Ravage. If we can find a hotel that has not lost electricity due to this storm, he will not go anywhere near it./ _

/_There's a large hotel a few blocks from here./ _Bumblebee mentioned, after a brief search on The Web.

_/Good. And if Ravage is here, Sixshot may not be far away/ _Optimus said. /_Our stop at the hotel must be brief./_

"Okay, we can swing that for you guys."

"Great." Sam stepped forward to wipe some snow off Jazz's hood.

The engine revved. "Do that again."

"Hedonist!" he accused, holding back a grin as he obliged him.

"You bet," Jazz chuckled, hacking into the hotel's computer. "Ok, there's two suites booked for ya under the name Michael Madsen, at The Hyatt Regency."

"Suites, huh?" asked Mikaela.

"Yup. Nothing but the best for our humans." Jazz quipped, as the other Autobots rolled up next to him and opened their doors for their passengers, who all quickly hopped in. "Right, Optimus?"

"Whenever possible, yes," agreed their leader.

"Hmph." Simmons unlocked the doors of his SUV, which was being towed now by Optimus because of the icy road, and got in.

"The Hyatt's expensive, Jazz. How are you paying for it?" Will asked, curious.

"Keller got an account set up for us about a week after Mission City. Since we're not gonna be here long, it won't hurt to use it." Jazz handed Sam credit and I.D. cards made for such an occasion.

"According to my research, garment companies use chemicals on their products, which could irritate your skin," Ratchet informed their humans after he and the other Autobots split up, taking several turns as they drove through parts of the city, before meeting up again at the hotel, as a precaution. "The clothing must be washed before you wear them."

Sam blinked at that. "Oh. Uh... Never thought about it.."

"But hotel laundry service takes forever," Mikaela said. "There probably aren't any laundromats open, either."

"I'll give the maid a big tip. That ought to get our clothes done fast," Maggie predicted, not a bit surprised by Ratchet's concern; he was a _very_ thorough medic.

"Thank you, Maggie," Optimus said. "Two hours will be sufficient time to discover if a Decepticon has tracked us to this city."

Sam whistled when they finally pulled up to the street in front of the brightly-lit Hyatt. "Nice."

"Real fancy place..." Simmons got out to unhook his SUV from Optimus.

Jazz flashed a grin at Sam. "Welcome. We're gonna hang out by the mall. Gimme a call when you're all ready t'go."

"Sure, Jazz. You guys be careful, okay?"

"Will do."

"Alright, everybody get moving," Will said, fetching his duffel bag from the back seat.

"I swear, any minute now I'm gonna start saluting him," Sam joked, and gave Jazz a hot kiss before getting out.

_Tease, _Jazz thought, amused, watching Sam walk off with a bit of a strut. At least he was feeling better now, joking with Mikaela, Maggie and Will about staying at a Hyatt hotel. Once they were all inside, Optimus instructed his Autobots to drive around the city again before returning to the 16th Street Mall.

Jazz cautiously broached the subject with Optimus. /_Ya know, you should've spoken up a few months ago./_

_/I do not know what you mean/_ came the immediate reply

_/Sure you do./ _Jazz took a cheerful approach. _/Our humans ain't inhibited, like most others on this planet. C'mon, fess up. I can tell there's one you __**really **__like, alot./_

/_Jazz.../ _Optimus growled, then sighed heavily; his first lieutenant was far too observant than was appropriate at times. /_They are happy with their choices. I will not interfere with them./_

_/Who said it'd be interfering?/_

_/----Excuse me?/ _Optimus inquired, unsure if he'd heard him correctly.

_/I'm just sayin', what if they didn't mind? After what you've been through, we'd never hold anything against you./_ Jazz said, stubbornly persistent_. /--'sides, don't you deserve to be happy, too?/_

_/My happiness, or lack of, is hardly important right now, Jazz. Our primary concern is the remnants of the All Spark. Do not forget that/ _Optimus said in mild rebuke. _/Now, let us speak no more of this./_

_/Ok, sure. Suit yourself./ _

_/...thank you../_

_/You're welcome, Sir,./ _Jazz obediently dropped the subject as they retraced their paths back to the 16th Street Mall. Each turned onto a different side street, changing to robotic mode with their weapons armed and ready.

* * *

"Your turn, Maggie, Mikaela said, coming back out to the bedroom wearing one of the hotel bathrobes and a towel wrapped around her head.

"Okay, thanks." She turned away from the view out the window and headed into the bathroom. _Well...time to see just how bad it is, _Maggie thought, unwrapping the bandages on her hands. Instead of the deep cuts she was expecting, there was just a couple small nicks on each palm. She stripped off her clothes and the rest of her bandages, leaning over to get a look at her knee. _Another little cut. Trust Ratchet to overdo it, _Maggie thought with a small smile, then glanced at the mirror. _Oh, terrific..._

They were pretty faded, thanks to Ratchet's treatment, but the purplish-blue bruises were still noticeable on her pale skin, from her right shoulder down to her hip. She pressed lightly on her rib cage. It was a tiny bit tender, but didn't really hurt all that much, not that that made her feel any better. She could only imagine how Ratchet must've reacted when he first saw them. Will he start to regret having a relationship with a fragile human? Especially now?

Maggie looked dejectedly at her reflection a moment longer before concentrating on showering and washing her hair.

Grabbing the remaining robe, she put it on and wandered back out to the bedroom. Mikaela was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the news on the t.v.. "So what's the word?"

"Right now they're saying an earthquake struck L.A.," Mikaela said, with a delicate snort at that ridiculous cover story. "They'll probably end up saying it was the work of terrorists, though."

"Well, they'd be right.." Maggie plopped down on the bed, draping an arm over her eyes. "That's what they are..alien terrorists.."

"You ok?" Mikaela grimaced at that stupid question. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Thanks, but no..." Maggie said with a faint sigh. "I just wish Glen was here."

"Yeah. We all do." Mikaela turned off the t.v., missing their irrepressibly upbeat friend. "How did you two meet? If you don't mind me asking?"

"No, I don't mind." She uncovered her eyes, thinking back. "It was October, 2000, when Playstation 2 came out. I'd gone to the store to see just how ridiculous people were acting over it."

"That was a crazy time."

"_Very_ crazy." Maggie rolled her eyes at the memory. "Glen was one of the lucky few to get his hands on one. Third in line, I think he was. He'd only gotten halfway to his car when three guys tried to rob him."

Mikaela's mouth dropped open in dismay. "You're kidding! Geez... I read about that stuff happening. Did Glen get hurt?"

"Almost. Those thugs pulled out knives when he wouldn't hand over the Playstation, so I used my stun gun on them."

Mikaela broke into a grin. "That's awesome!"

"Thanks." Maggie smiled a little. "Glen didn't want to wait around for cops to show up, so we both went to a Chinese restaurant: He'd been in line _all_ day, and was starving."

"I bet he was." Mikaela turned at a knock on their door. "I'll get it."

"Ok, but check who it is, first."

"It's Sam," Mikaela said, looking through the peephole before opening the door. "Hey you."

"Hi there." Sam hesitated, seeing her in just a robe, while he was dressed in the spare jeans and t-shirt he'd packed. "Should I come back later?"

"Of course not, silly. Maggie?"

"Come on in, Sam."

"Thanks." Sam followed Mikaela to the bedroom, after making sure the door closed all the way. "Will's on the phone talking to his family, so I'm giving them a little privacy."

"What's Simmons doing?" Maggie asked, sitting up and scooting back against the headboard.

"He muttered something about needing cigarettes and went down to the gift shop." Sam made a face at that habit.

Mikaela shared his sentiments. "Gross... How's your back, Sam?"

"Okay. Will changed the bandages for me." He plopped down in a chair. "How're you two doing?"

"Better, after that shower. Right, Maggie?" Mikaela looked over at her.

"I suppose..." Maggie rubbed her forehead; Sam and Mikaela both looked uneasy at the tepid response she gave them. "Sorry, I just.. I feel tired, right down to my bones."

"You could take a nap," Sam suggested. "We've still got over an hour."

"It's not that kind of tired; it's more like..." Maggie paused for a second, then came out with it. "Like I've been holding on to something that I never really had to begin with."

"You mean...Ratchet and Ironhide?" Mikaela stared in disbelief when Maggie nodded slightly. "How could you possibly think that?"

Sam chewed on his bottom lip, a sliver of doubt starting to creep up on him, too. "I kinda do, too..."

Mikaela abruptly turned toward him, ignoring the towel that fell off her head. "Not you, too! Don't do this to them, you guys!"

"What? I'm just thinking: What if it's true? I mean, Jazz said he loves me, but what if he's wrong? What if he doesn't even know what love it?" Sam proposed, anxiously tapping his foot.

"You have _got_ to be kidding!" Mikaela couldn't believe he just said that! "All right, yes, they are different, alien, but in case you haven't noticed by now, they _do _have emotions, just like us. And I bet they understand them a _lot_ better than we do! Bee told me he loves me, and promised to stay here on Earth with me, and I believe him."

"He said that?" Maggie asked, a little surprised at first. It was understandable, though. Bumblebee, she'd been told, was one of the youngest of the Autobots; he hadn't seen first-hand what Cybertron had been like before that awful war, so he likely didn't feel the 'pull' as much as his friends.

Not to mention that it was obvious to everyone that Bee had fallen hard for Mikaela.

"Yes, he did," Mikaela confirmed, and told them what Bee said about Optimus' plan regarding the All Spark pieces. "But if you're really not sure how they feel about you -- and why you wouldn't be after all this time is beyond me -- just ask them. Give them a chance to convince you. You've gotta know they'll never lie to us," she added, with a confident nod.

"No, they wouldn't," Sam agreed, a little embarrassed now that he'd doubted Jazz for even a second.

Maggie picked at a chipped fingernail, thinking. If Optimus asked them to, they would leave with him, without hesitation. Their loyalty to him was _very _strong, and she could hardly blame them for it. There was just something about the Autobot leader that made one want to follow him anywhere, regardless of how dangerous it might be. _Like we are._

Then again, now that there are more Autobots on Earth -- and they just _had_ to be Autobots -- they'll be a great help to Optimus. "Sorry, I have this silly little habit of getting kinda negative sometimes during winter," Maggie confessed, determinedly shook off her melancholy.

"Well, everyone's got a quirk. Just look at Simmons," Sam joked to lighten the mood.

"Let's _not, _ok?" Mikaela pleaded with an exaggerated frightened look.

"He is odd," Maggie agreed with a short chuckle, then changed the subject. "I think what we all need right now are mint mocha lattes."

"_Great_ idea." Sam jumped up from the chair and headed for the door. "I'll go get 'em, and make sure Simmons didn't sneak out on us."

"He'd better not.." Mikaela muttered to herself, then they both dug out the last of their spare clothes and got dressed while Sam went on the coffee run.

* * *

/_What do we do now?_/

_/I haven't decided yet_./ Prowl continued his surveillance from a distance. The message Optimus Prime had sent out included coordinates to the new Autobot base. Unfortunately, the Decepticons had obviously already located it, and not very long ago, either, judging from the smoke that was still drifting up from the ruins. /_There's no evidence of any bodies -- Autobot or_ _Decepticon_/ he told his companion, tremendously relieved, as he scanned the gutted remains of a large building, as well as the debris that several natives of this world were removing from it.

Optimus must have had enough advance warning to order an evacuation before the attack, but where would he have gone?

/_The Decepticons must have destroyed this base out of spite, then, when they found it empty_/ Arcee said in a deadened tone, well aware of how vindictive their foes are.

/_Most likely_/ Prowl agreed, with a sympathetic glance at her. _Humans. That is what Optimus called these beings in his message. _He considered revealing himself to these ones, but they did not strike him as particularly friendly or approachable. He was also hesitant to open a link to Optimus without knowing what circumstances their leader was currently in: An attempt to contact him could place him in peril. There must be at least twelve Decepticons on this planet, possibly more, judging by the destruction inflicted during such a short period of time, and Primus only knows where they are now. He did _not_ want to attract their attention before the others were prepared for a battle.

/_There's another one_/ Arcee warned a few seconds before a car drove by the pile of large rocks they were using for cover.

Prowl nodded, watching as the vehicle stopped abruptly, it's tires skidding. A large brown-skinned human male got out, literally screaming about a cousin of his, Glen, who'd come here to 'hang out'. His clothing was drastically different from that of the other humans, colorful and loose-fitting, as opposed to the others' uniforms and dark suits. He was obviously not welcome here, either; the other humans drew weapons on him, ordering him to lay on the ground. They patted him down, searching for any weapons he might have hidden, then roughly yanked him to his feet.

/_That one may know something that could help us_/ Prowl said, watching the distraught human plead ignorance to questions regarding the whereabouts of three other humans who'd apparently visited the Autobot base often.

_/If this Glen did visit here often, then he must know Optimus_./

/_And possibly told his cousin_/ Prowl said, watching as the uniformed men were placing restraints on Glen's cousin's wrists and forcing him into the back of another vehicle, a black SUV. /_We'll have to free him from these men_./

/_You have a plan?_/ Arcee asked, knowing she didn't need to remind him of Optimus' steadfast belief in not harming other life-forms.

_/Yes, I do. I'll need your help implementing it_./ Prowl transformed to the black and white law enforcement vehicle he'd scanned shortly after landing. /_It won't be easy convincing him to tell us what he knows. He'll be very distrustful after this confrontation_./

_/As any sensible being would be_/ she added with a flicker of disapproval for the humans' treatment of Glen's cousin. /_What do you need me to do?/_

/_I shall act as a decoy and get them to stop on the road. While they're distracted, you'll retrieve Glen's cousin from their vehicle. We'll both need to use our holoforms for this mission_./

/_All right_./ Arcee transformed to the dark pink Corvette she'd chosen for her alt form.

Prowl waited to see which direction the van turned when it reached the highway, then sped off over the desert, fast, with Arcee right behind him. They turned onto the road a couple miles ahead of the SUV and it's unwilling passenger. /_This is a good spot_/ he decided, and braked hard, flipping himself upside-down and coming to a rest across the two lanes.

_/That will __**definitely**__ make them stop_/ Arcee commended him on the ploy.

/_Thank you_./ Prowl programmed his holoform to that of a severely injured police officer and activated it.

Arcee stopped a few yards back from him, pulling off the road and out of plain view. Skimming through random images she'd downloaded from a cable channel that played music, she choose a dark-skinned female human as her holoform. It should make Glen's cousin more at ease to converse with someone of a similar type as himself.

As expected, the van came to a quick stop when it's driver saw Prowl. After a few astroseconds spent reporting the 'accident' via phone, both suited men got out and went over to the policeman, leaving Glen's cousin locked in their SUV.

Quietly driving onto the road, Arcee backed up next to the SUV and activated her own holoform. She lifted up the SUV's hood, ripping out certain cables to disable the vehicle, then forced open it's back doors. "Follow me. Hurry." she urged the human inside.

Glen's cousin gawked at her for a moment before jumping out. "Damn! Am I glad to see you, whoever you are!"

"Turn around, quickly!" She broke off his restraints, glancing back at the suited men. They'd been arguing over what to do; apparently neither one had any medical training, and didn't know how to try to help the policeman. An agreement was reached to let the paramedics take care of the victim when they arrive. "Get in, please."

He turned back around, got a good look at her and did a double-take. "Holy shit! It's you! Ashanti! You're Ashanti!" he declared, loudly.

_Well, I clearly chose the wrong holoform._ "No, I'm not. I just look like her. Now get in!" she ordered; the other two humans heard Glen's cousin and started to run toward them, yelling at them to stop.

"Don't need to tell me twice!" he said, jumping into the Corvette with her.

Arcee quickly drove off, leaving his former captors behind. While they were distracted with trying to get their SUV started in order to pursue them, Prowl deactivated his holoform, transformed and slipped away.

"That was all fake, wasn't it?" Her passenger asked as they drove off, leaving his former captors behind. He looked all around for the film crew that had to be following them. "You're makin' a music video! Why didn't he tell me!"

"I'm not this Ashanti person, and that was quite real." Arcee opened a link to Prowl so he could hear their conversation.

"...sure do look like her..." he muttered, then looked ready to cry. "I can't believe he's dead! They killed him! "

_So he does know more than he let on to those hostile humans. _"Don't worry. I'm certain that if Glen was at the base, he escaped before the Decepticons attacked."

"The who? What?" he asked, completely baffled.

"--whoever destroyed that building, I mean," Arcee immediately backtracked. Apparently this one didn't know everything.

"Uh..Yeah..." He looked even more confused now, then his eyes widened. "Hey, how do you know Glen, anyway?"

"I'm a friend of his, actually," she told him, which was technically true, whether Glen knew it or not. "I really need to find him."

"For real??" he exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Oh, I get it! You're a friend of Maggie's, right? That's how Glen met ya! I'm his cousin, Logan."

Maggie Madsen. That was one of the other names mentioned when he was being interrogated. "My name is Carrie," Arcee replied. "And, yes, I am a friend of Maggie's, too. Do you know her phone number, so I can call her? Or her e-mail address?"

"No! Don't do that! They'll find her if you do!"

"You mean those h--men back there? Who are they?"

"Who the hell knows? The FBI, CIA... They're everywhere!" he declared. "Tappin' phones, spyin' on comps, you name it!"

"That is..discouraging," Arcee commented. His fears certainly appeared justified, after what had just occurred. Why would Optimus Prime choose this world to call home? "Do you have any idea where Maggie or Glen might be now?"

"Uh...Yeah..." Logan paused, thinking hard. "Yeah, Maggie left me a message this morning, for Glen. Said something about visiting some big-ass cave somewhere... Kansas... No, Kentucky. She definitely said Kentucky. Well, duh!" He slapped his forehead. "That's where Glen is! He hooked up with Maggie and went to Kentucky! Man, I would've liked to go, too..."

Arcee took a moment to research Kentucky. "Mammoth Cave?"

"Yeah, that's the one, but don't tell anyone else! Maggie said it's a secret trip."

"I promise I won't, Logan. Thank you. Is there somewhere I can take you, where you'll be safe?"

"Yeah.. I'll lay low with some pals, until things cool down." Logan gave her an address, wondering if there was any chance of getting his car back later. Probably a snowball's chance in hell... "Thanks for savin' my ass, Carrie."

"You're welcome, Logan." Arcee questioned him further during the drive to the location he provided, but Logan had little more information to offer. He was convinced to tell her Maggie and Glen's phone numbers, though, after he made it _very _clear that she should only use prepaid cell phone to call them. "I won't forget," she assured him when he reminded her again about the cell phone. Apparently prepaid phones are what he, Glen and Maggie have all been using.

"Ok, good. Can't be too safe.You might have better luck gettin' hold of her than I did. Maggie might've changed numbers again, though." He nodded sagely. "Oh, and you oughtta get a new paint job - your ride looks like a big Barbie toy. Make it red. Everybody knows that red's the fly color for 'vettes."

"Is it? I'll keep that in mind, then," she said, after deciphering his meaning, and stopped in front of his friend's residence.

Logan got out, looking around to make sure the coast was clear. "See ya later, Carrie!" he said to her, before running to the front door.

"Farewell, Logan." Arcee quickly drove off and turned a corner, changing her holoform as she rejoined Prowl, who'd prudently stayed out of the human's sight.

_/He has a very suspicious nature/ _Prowl observed, troubled by what they've seen thus far of Earth.

/_With good reason, I'd say, but he felt comfortable enough to confide in me./_

_/Yes. You did well, Arcee./_

_/Thank you, Prowl/ _she replied, then tapped into a phone company in order to call Maggie Madsen, but received a 'No long in service' message. It was the same with Glen Whitmann.

_/That makes our search more complicated. Once we reach Mammoth Cave, I'll attempt to contact Optimus. It will be less risky then./ _Prowl opened more private links, to the others. _/I have new coordinates/ _he said, sending it to them. _/Find alternate forms that suit you, and be quick about it. We are going to the State of Kentucky, to locate Optimus Prime./_


	10. Chapter 10

A/N. Sorry for the delay. Was sick the past week. Ugh

Warning: This chapter contains the destruction; attempted rape (minor oc) ; character death

* * *

"The Autobots are in this city? You're certain?" Sixshot asked, dubious.

"Yes! They not leave yet," Ravage told him, flexing his claws. "Still here."

Sixshot hesitated. This accursed weather gave the Autobots an advantage over him, but he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to strike at them. _If _they are here. "Find them, then. If you can."

"Will find!" Ravage trotted off down the exit they had used to enter the city.

Irritably blinking against the snow blowing into his optics, Sixshot crouched down to wait for the drone to report back.

_Find Autobots. Find Autobots, _Ravage recited, trying to follow the faint trace the Autobots left. The sun was setting, but the snow was so glaringly bright, it was throwing him off his hunt. He dimmed his optics and strengthened his other sensors. That solved the problem, and Ravage picked up his pace. The trail led him to 16th Street, but from there the Autobots seemed to have gone in separate directions.

Unsure of which to follow, he walked back and forth across the street. Who would Sixshot prefer as a target? Optimus Prime was not an option; Starscream had made it clear that the Autobot leader was to be the last to die. The silver one? Ravage would enjoy another chance to fight him.

Yes... He was Optimus Prime's first lieutenant. Jazz, he called himself. _He shall be the one to die_, Ravage decided. He'd started to scrutinize the four trails more thoroughly, to pick out which was Jazz's, when something grabbed him by the neck and back legs.

/_Got him!/_

Snarling, Ravage slashed at the Autobot who'd caught him. /_Autobots here!/ _he sent to Sixshot, along with his location.

"Ow." Jazz grimaced as the drone's front claws scored his arms, and pinned him to the ground. "Knock it off."

Ravage struggled in vain for a moment, then gave up, rerouting power back to his optics and looking up at the silver Autobot.

"So is Sixshot still around somewhere, or did he dump you on your aft, like he did Hardtop?" asked Jazz.

"Did not leave behind!" Ravage retorted,stiffening at the taunt, but did feel a twinge of anxiety. Sixshot had made his contempt plain enough. "Humans still here?"

"They're safe from the likes of you," Jazz growled back, his optics narrowing angrily.

"No, I have not abandoned Soundwave's drone." Sixshot stepped out from an alley a few buildings away, taking in the scenario before him. "Not that I'm not tempted to, since he let himself be captured so easily."

Ravage renewed his struggles. "Not drone!"

"Cool it!" Jazz ordered, not taking his optics off Sixshot as the Decepticon approached him.

"This is, of course, a trap." Sixshot glanced around, eager for a real battle, finally. "Where are your companions, little Autobot?"

"Behind you," Bumblebee answered as he, Ratchet and Optimus strode out from their side streets.

"Surrender," Optimus advised, gazing impassively at Sixshot, who sneered and responded by shooting at Jazz.

"_Whoa!_" Jazz dodged the blast, lifting Ravage up and flinging him at Sixshot, who smacked the drone aside with the back of his hand.

Ravage snarled in outrage, colliding with a metal light-post as Sixshot attacked at the other Autobots.

_/Jazz! The drone!/ _Optimus ordered as he and Bumblebee returned fire, Sixshot staggered under the barrage. Bumblebee and Ratchet flanked him as they advanced on the Decepticon, boxing him in in front of a brick building.

_/I'm on it./ _Jazz was already heading for him.

Ravage got back up, favoring his left hind leg, the ankle joint having been nearly crushed when he hit the post.

Jazz got his shield up just as Ravage sprang at him, claws extended. A small grunt of pain escaped him as the metal was deeply gouged. _Hate those claws... _he thought, forcing his opponent back.

Sixshot recovered and launched himself at Optimus Prime, slamming into him. The Autobot toppled over, with Sixshot landing on top.

"Think again, cat," Jazz growled, shooting at Ravage when he tried to circle around him to get closer to the others.

Ravage stopped in his tracks and looked from Jazz to the other three Autobots, optics flickering as he considered his strategy, then turned around and took off down the street.

/_Slag it all! The drone's running!/ _Jazz exclaimed, transforming and chasing after him.

Ratchet and Bumblebee charged forward as Optimus grabbed Sixshot's arms, preventing the Decepticon from using his weapons at such close range. Sixshot roared when Ratchet's rotary saw came down on his left shoulder, the blades slicing through the plating and damaging the wing. Optimus heaved upward, throwing Sixshot off of him.

/_Be careful!/ _Optimus told Jazz, as the fight continued.

/_You bet_./

Bumblebee stepped around Ratchet and aimed his cannon again, hitting the Decepticon in the side with a shower of bright sparks.

Struck by more cannon blasts, Sixshot stumbled back from the trio, attempted to transform to another mode, but found that he couldn't. Prime's Medical Officer's saw had seen to that. Furious, he renewed his attack, firing rapidly with both concussion blasters. The first pair of shots easily felled the small yellow Autobot. It took four more to send the Autobot leader crashing to the icy pavement. That left only the medic still standing.

_**Primus! **_Ratchet fired his own cannon at the Decepticon, looking over at Optimus and Bumblebee to try to determine how injured they are. The shots hadn't hit them directly in the chest, but the damage could still be extensive -- they were barely moving.

The medic's shot struck his left blaster, destroying it. Sixshot growled and lunged forward, tackling the Autobot. The saw buzzed harmlessly now, cutting into the pavement, as he pinned his prey down.

The Decepticon's larger frame and heavy weight hampering his struggles, Ratchet groaned in pain as Sixshot wrenched aside his chest plating, exposing the vulnerable spark.

_"__**No!!**__" _Jazz leaped onto Sixshot's back, raking at his face with the hind foot he'd forcibly acquired from Ravage.

Sixshot howled in rage as the claws shredded his faceplate, ripping out an optic, and grabbed hold of the small Autobot, intent on tearing him apart limb by limb when a red sword was plunged into his chest, to the right of his spark casing. Another howl burst from him as the half-blinded Decepticon dropped Jazz and fell over backward, thrashing about in agony.

"Ratchet!" Jazz rolled to his feet and rushed to Ratchet's side. "Say somethin', buddy!"

Optimus sheathed his sword, unsteady as he moved closer to his friends.

"...I'm..all right..." Ratchet shuddered, almost groaning again as he slowly pushed back his chest armor, holding it closed with one hand, and sat up. "Optimus? Bumblebee?"

"I'm--functional. Take care of yourself first," Bumblebee insisted, making no effort to get up just yet.

"He's right," Optimus agreed, disregarding the scorch marks on his own upper body armor as he kept watch on Sixshot. The Decepticon didn't look like he was capable of going anywhere at the moment. "Focus on your own repairs before ours, Ratchet."

Ratchet nodded, a little shaken by his close call, produced a welder and began mending his chest plates.

"Is Ravage dead?" Optimus asked.

"Came close." Jazz dropped the paw in disgust. "I figured he'd double-back here, like he did last time; drones aren't very imaginative."

"That is true," agreed Optimus, both he and Jazz looking around for any sign of Soundwave's drone. The surrounding buildings cast numerous shadows now, with the sun setting, and Ravage could be concealed within any one of them, watching. /_We cannot remain here any longer. They will have requested aid./_

/_They may be reluctant to; it would reveal their failure to the others_/ Ratchet pointed out while tending to Bumblebee's wounds.

/_What are the chances Starscream will send someone if they did?/_ Bumblebee asked, voicing his usually low opinion of Decepticons.

_/Starscream might well ignore them_/ Optimus acknowledged. /_But he has been behaving in an unpredictable manner lately./_

_/Better safe than sorry_./ Jazz glowered at Sixshot. /_What'll we do with that one_./

Contemplating their dilemma, Optimus gazed down at the Sixshot, who glared hatefully at them all. They did not have time to question him, not that he was likely to provide any answers. /_Shut down all of his systems, Jazz./_

/_With pleasure, Boss_./ He nodded and immediately went to work on the Decepticon. "Pipe down and quite movin'." Jazz responded to the growled-out threats and attempts to swat him away by shutting down Sixshot's motor functions first. Within seconds the Decepticon was off-line. /_Ok, that's done. Now what?/_

/_We shall leave him on one of the rooftops, and have Simmons send some of his men to remove him_/ Optimus decided. /_If Sixshot is still here, of course./_

/_One more Decepticon down. Sounds good to me/ _remarked Jazz.

/_You are not going to try lifting that brute until you've been repaired!/_ Ratchet gave his leader a fierce look

/_All right.../_ he allowed, giving up on trying to argue with his medic. /_Do only what is essential, though. We must hurry./_

Ratchet nodded, finished reconnecting severed wires in Bumblebee, and turned to his leader. /_Sit./ _

/_Yes, Ratchet./_ Optimus obediently sat down in the middle of the street while Jazz took over watching out for Ravage.

It took a little longer to repair Optimus -- he'd sustained the most damage during the battle -- but Ratchet finished as quickly as possible. _/Are you injured, Jazz?/_

_/Just my shield this time. It's not too bad/ _he answered, watching Optimus pick up Sixshot and toss him onto a roof. With any luck this'll be the last they'll see of that slagger.

/_We'll have to recharge soon/ _warned Ratchet.

Optimus nodded wearily. /_We must get as far away from this city as possible, before that becomes necessary. Take different routes back to the hotel./_

_/Yup. Let's roll. / _Jazz took one last look around before transforming and driving off.

* * *

"Sam!"

"What?! Sam almost dropped the lattes he was carrying when Will came rushing down the corridor toward him. "What happened?"

"Your phone wouldn't stop ringing, so I took a chance and answered it. I thought it might've been Jazz!" Will explained, looking harried as he held up Sam's cell phone. "I've got him on hold."

"Who? Who's on hold??" Sam asked, starting to panic.

"Your father."

"Oh, shit..."

"Exactly!" Will looked about and lowered his voice. "He threatened to call the police unless I got you on the phone, pronto. I told him we're all in Aspen, learning how to ski, but he doesn't believe me."

"Geez..Uh.. Can you take these to Mikaela and Maggie?" Sam nodded to the coffee cups. "I tried to hurry, but there was a huge line with all the people stranded here."

"No problem, Sam." Will took the cardboard tray from him and handed over the phone. "And good luck_."_

"Thanks. Oh, and your chai's the one on the left." Sam snagged his own latte and disappeared into his suite to try to calm his parents down.

_Hope I don't act like that later with Annabelle... _Will thought as he knocked on the ladies' door. It opened a few seconds later.

"Hi, Will," Mikaela greeted him with a friendly smile. "How's your family?"

"They're hanging in there, thanks," Will told her. "Anyone up for a latte?"

"I am!" Maggie called out.

"Latte: The Magic Word," Mikaela quipped, smiling as she let Will in and locked the door behind him. "Right this way."

Will chuckled a bit and followed her to the bedroom, where they had a news channel on. "What's the latest?" he asked, handing them their lattes.

"Well, they've given up on the earthquake excuse and are blaming it on terrorists," Mikaela told him.

"At least this time they know it's not some other country's doing," added Maggie, closing her eyes as she took a long sip of her drink. It _really_ hit the spot.

"Yeah." Will rubbed the back of his head. "If those Decepticons settle down in one place...I think our military plans to bomb them."

Mikaela frowned at him. "What, you mean like a nuclear bomb?"

"If that's what it'll take, yeah. A small one. Get 'em all in one strike."

"But what about civilians?" Maggie protested. They _can't _be serious!

"I don't think there'll be any left alive by then. _They'll _have made sure of that," Will replied with grim honesty, then dropped the subject, sitting down to watch the news with them for a while.

"Over two hundred..." Mikaela murmured, crumpling her empty coffee cup at the report on the current death toll. It was bound to rise in the next day or so. And that was just from the Golden Gate Bridge. There was no word yet on the others, and the news people weren't ready to even speculate on how bad it was in L.A..

Maggie nervously twisted her fingers together, wishing she had a laptop with her so she could find out what the news stations weren't telling the public. She jumped when Mikaela and Will's cell phones went off.

"Text message," Will said, the first to check his phone. "From Optimus. It's time to move out, people."

Mikaela nodded and got up.

"Our clothes should be done by now: I'll go down to the laundry room and get them," Maggie volunteered and headed for the door, cup in hand.

"I'll pack up everything here," Mikaela added, already stuffing supplies into their bags.

"Okay, good. I'm gonna go hurry Sam up. We'll meet up with you in the lobby." Will followed Maggie out and went back to his other suite, quietly going in. "--is it safe, Sam?"

"Yeah, it's safe. They're pretty freaked out about L.A...and made me promise not to break my neck, or anything else." Sam rubbed the back of his head, feeling guilty. _Not the first time I've kept things from them... _"What's up?"

"Got a message from Optimus. It's time to go."

"Already?" Sam grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "Are they alright?"

"He didn't say. Guess we'll find out when we get downstairs." Will picked up his own bag, looking around through the rooms to make sure nothing's being left behind. "All clear. Let's get going."

"Lead the way, Major, Sir!" Sam said, gulping down more of his latte.

Will gave him an amused look as they left the room. "Pick up the pace, soldier!" he ordered, walking quickly down the hallway and into the elevator.

Sam sucked down the rest of his drink during the ride down. Jazz hated it when empty containers were accidentally left inside him. He dumped the cup as soon as the elevator door opened to let them off.

Will looked around, hoping the hotel'll find a way to clear out all these people. Most of them were gathered around tvs, talking about California. He and Sam made their way to the front desk to check out, then squeezed back through the crowded lobby to the main entrance. "There's Mikaela and Maggie," Sam said, pointing.

Mikaela waved to them. "Hey, you two!"

"Simmons already went outside to get his car hooked up," Maggie said, passing out the winter clothes and dumping the laundry bag they were in. Everyone already had their new boots on.

"Okay, let's not keep them waiting." Will zipped up his coat and went outside first, in case there was anything lurking about.

"Bee!" Mikaela cried out when she reached him, and saw that part of his car hood was blackened. "Are you all right?"

"My armor is self-repairing itself," Bumblebee assured Mikaela, but didn't mention his low power reserve, not wanting to worry her further.

"It still looks bad..." She turned her attention to Optimus, who looked even worse than Bee.

"They got you, too! Who was it?"

"Sixshot. We defeated him," Optimus replied, keeping perfectly still when Mikaela ran a hand down his front grill.

"With that cat thing?!" Sam had reached Jazz and saw the claw marks on his right front fender.

"Ravage, yeah.. He escaped again, but I got a good shot in on him," Jazz said, revving his engine.

"We should've been there to help you!" Mikaela said, still fussing over Bee and Optimus.

""You're low on ammunition," Bumblebee pointed out. "And Sixshot was formidable."

"Yeah, he was a tough one," Will added, looking over at Mikaela, who reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Practically shrugged off our grenades."

"You guys needed some time to chill out, anyway," added Jazz.

"But you did get him?" an anxious Sam asked, hopping into the Aston when Jazz opened the passenger door for him.

"Yup. He's in stasis now," Jazz replied."

"I am fine now, Maggie," Ratchet told her when she walked around him, looking for damage.

_Now?_ Her eyebrows went up, and she started inspecting him more closely.

The Hummer's rear doors swung open. "Please get inside, Maggie."

"We must hurry," Optimus reminded them all.

"Right." Will put his bag in the truck's back seat and climbed in.

"Got a crew on their way to pick up that 'con," Simmons reported, poking his head out the window. "E.T.A.'s about thirty minutes -- the weather's slowing them down."

"Thank you, Agent Simmons," Optimus politely answered, waiting a moment longer for their humans to settle in, then gave the order to roll out.

* * *

Crouched in a shadow, Ravage waited until the Autobots were long gone before hobbling out into the street to picked up his severed foot. Each Autobot had left a separate trail; he considered picking out the silver one's trail and following it, but revenge can wait. There was something else that currently held his attention more. Sixshot had been thrown onto one of the roofs, and was off-line and helpless.

Which was exactly what Ravage had been wanting since Soundwave assigned him to Sixshot.

He tucked the foot away inside his armor for Hook to reattach later, then walked over to the building Sixshot had been left on. Crouching down again, Ravage leaped onto the roof and crept over to the larger Decepticon, who was lying in a heap. After changing back to robotic form, he stretched out Sixshot's limbs, arranging him in a more dignified position, then sat down on his midsection and pried apart the damaged chest armor. Sixshot's spark still pulsed bright and strong, despite his injuries. Ravage looked at it for a long moment, fascinated, before putting his plan into motion. It was time to get Sixshot back online, reactivate his sensors and vocal processor. The rest of his motor functions, though, had to stay shut off for now.

Ravage pushed the chest plates open more and set himself to the task. One cycle later, Sixshot's one remaining optic snapped open, flashing with pain, and also annoyance when he tried to speak, but couldn't. "Want talk?"

Sixshot silently nodded, glaring as he watched Ravage reach in to reconnect the vocal processor. "Where are they?" he growled out.

"Autobots gone. Autobots left Sixshot on roof," Ravage gloated. "Sixshot not all-powerful. Sixshot _not _Megatron."

"Be silent, drone!"

"Won't!" Ravage petulantly refused. "Sixshot call Starscream? Call Hook? Beg for help?"

"_No!_" Sixshot growled, taking exception to the word 'beg'. Not in a thousand vorns would he ever _beg_ for help. He would, of course, demand that someone be sent. But not while he was lying on a roof like a piece of scrap metal that had been thrown away. He narrowed his one optic at Ravage. What did the little cretin want? "Have you begged your _Master_ for aid?"

He ignored that retort, smiling slyly, and reached inside Sixshot's chest, scraping one sharp fingertip over his spark casing. "Knew Sixshot not beg."

"Stop," Sixshot ordered, in no mood for whatever game Ravage thought he was playing.

"Sixshot want repair?" He continued toying with the casing, watching the spark within flare in response. "Can help."

"--you know how to repair?" he asked, with obvious skepticism, trying to ignore what the aggravating drone's touches were doing to him.

"Not optic. Can repair inside." Ravage puffed up with self-importance. "Watched Hook. Learned how."

"You have?" His optic narrowed even more. "Repair me, then. Now!"

"Say first!" Ravage demanded, and thrust both hands in, fingers scraping against the wiring that surrounded the spark casing, making them vibrate. The spark surged brighter.

"Say...what?" Sixshot ground out, his glare promising dire consequences for Ravage's outrageous behavior. At this moment he was glad that his motor functions were shut down. Otherwise he would _not_ have been able to stay still under this...torture.

"Say 'not drone'!" He dug his fingertips between the wires, nearly fraying them. "Say!"

"_**Ahhrr!**_" Sixshot roared, coming close to overloading.

Startled, Ravage almost bolted then and there, but reminded himself that the much larger Decepticon was still immobile. "Say!" he repeated, fingers still entwined in the wires, determined to make Sixshot admit that _he_ was a Decepticon, too, and not some insignificant drone.

_That_ was what this was about? Ravage felt insulted at being called a drone? "Very well... You are not a drone," Sixshot conceded, giving in to his ruthless persistence.

"Not drone," he said again, satisfied with Sixshot's agreement, and let go of the wires. "Repair now."

Sixshot remained silent during the painful process, watching as Ravage scavenged wires and cables from his own severed foot, using them to replace the ruined ones in Sixshot's chest. A small welder and laser, taken from Primus knows where, had popped out of Ravage's arm. Perhaps Hook, in a rare moment of good humor, had given them to him.

It took just a few more cycles to finish the task; Ravage's fingers were more nimble than most Decepticons', allowing him to work at a fast pace in fixing the mess the Autobot's blade had made. He finished with Sixshot's chest, rolling him onto his front in order to mend the wing.

"Repair done!" Ravage proudly announced as he rolled Sixshot back over. "Armor fix itself."

"My motor functions now." Sixshot kept his tone even.

He hesitated for a brief astro-second: Sixshot was, of course, furious over being forced to submit. Undaunted, Ravage complied, once again reaching into his chest.

The instant he could move again, Sixshot's hand shot up and grabbed Ravage around the midsection. "I should rip you apart for that, and to the _Pit_ with Soundwave!" he threatened as he climbed to his feet, giving Ravage a violent shake.

"_Pit with_ _you_!" Ravage flung back, glaring at him.

Sixshot paused, regarding the defiant Decepticon with grudging respect. "If you _ever _tell anyone of this, my willful little partner--"

"Partner! Yes! Not drone! Partner!" Ravage crowed, pleased with his victory. "Won't tell! Promise!"

Somewhat amused now, Sixshot walked to the edge of the roof and jumped down to the street. His optic needed replacing, before they could resume the hunt for the Autobots. Hook was bound to have at least one spare set on him. He transformed to his aerial mode and opened the cargo door for Ravage. "Get in, _partner."_

Ravage put the foot away again, transformed back to his feline mode and happily obeyed, curling up in a corner as Sixshot flew off, leaving Denver and heading East to meet up with Hook and the other Decepticons.

* * *

"Set me down there!" Mixmaster demanded, as Skywarp flew over the city of Washington D.C.

"Where?" asked Skywarp, puzzled.

"There! By that...thing!" He pointed to the object in question.

"It's an obelisk." Skywarp circled back to it, hovering to let his two passengers off before landing.

"_That_ is the plainest, most unimaginative structure I have _ever_ seen!" Mixmaster stalked up to the tall pillar.

"This is the 'George Washington Monument'," Skywarp told him, scanning a small plaque.

_"Not anymore_! Help me with this, Long Haul!" Mixmaster ordered, and they both vigorously attacked the base of the Monument, which crumbled under their blows.

Skywarp waited, bored, as the obelisk fell over, shattering when it struck the ground. "Can we possibly rejoin the others now?"

"Yes, yes..." Mixmaster grumbled to himself about the general repulsiveness of the humans' creations as he and Long Haul latched into Skywarp's frame again.

_Next time Starscream can transport this one, _Skywarp thought, exasperated, as he took off again, heading for the first intended target in this city.

_"You_ are _late,"_ Starscream admonished them when they arrived in front of the dwelling the humans' call the White House.

_"_Mixmaster saw something that offended his extremely sensitive optics._"_

"I do _not_ wish to know," Starscream snapped when Mixmaster was about to elaborate on Skywarp's statement.

Shockwave tore off another large section of the White House's roof. There was no sign or sound of any inhabitants inside. "As I said, the humans have abandoned this building in anticipation of our attack."

"They're evacuating more of this city, from what we saw," Skywarp informed them.

"We should act quickly, then." Thunderblast studied the White House. "Since this was the residence of the humans' leaders, perhaps we should make it our base?"

"No." Starscream quickly refused the suggestion. Creating a base implied a prolonged stay, which he wanted to avoid by any means necessary. "Spread out and get started," he commanded, already plotting ways to escalate their war on the humans. For example, destroying the humans' nuclear reactors will result in a large number of deaths, and even more panic among the rest of this world's population. There were six of those in the State of Illinois alone, he knew.

"We'll take that one over there," Scrapper said, gesturing to another building across the road.

"Do so, then. I will finish with this." Starscream turned away from them as they dispersed to follow his orders, and fired missiles into the White House.

"I suppose you want me to continue staying close to Thundercracker?" Thunderblast asked, hanging back to watch as flames engulfed the structure.

"Yes."

She gave him a sulky look. "As entertaining as collapsing buildings are, they do get rather tedious after awhile."

"Boring or not, those are your orders, and you _will _obey." He paused, reconsidering, his optics roving over her form. "Go find Thundercracker. Perhaps when we're finished with this city, I'll give you a more invigorating task."

"What sort of task?" she asked, optics brightening with interest, then turned around at the sound of approaching jets. "Ahh. Here come the humans, to make a futile attempt to defend their city."

"Of course." Starscream nodded, transforming and flying off to engage them head on with his Seekers.

Thunderblast casually strolled through a park-like area, where the trees concealed her from the human pilots. From a distance she could hear the sound of a building being toppled, and being toppled, and headed in that direction. She idly took a few turns around corners, heard a rather loud conversation, and followed it to a residential area. Shortround and Scavenger was standing in the middle of the street, having a lively discussion. "Is this your definition of stealth?" she asked sarcastically.

"_He," _Shortround began, pointing at Scavenger, "is completely unreasonable!"

"My sensors are in perfect working order!" Scavenger retorted. "There _is _a large flow of natural gas beneath the ground here!"

"Really?" Thunderblast paused as she accessed downloaded information on the gas. Now this could be _very _interesting. "Where, exactly, Scavenger?"

"Right here." He stomped a foot on a manhole cover.

"Hmmm.. Shortround, do remove the cover and fill this hole with plasma," she requested, directing a smile at him. "I would very much like to see what happens."

"Very well.." he grudgingly agreed, and pulled off the manhole lid.

Thunderblast took a couple steps back as Shortround fired magma into the manhole. A large column of fire shot up from it, knocking him onto his back. "Are you all right?" she asked, more interested in the other manhole covers that were being blown off, one after another, in the same manner. Then the houses on both sides of the street began bursting into flames.

"Yes.." Shortround sat up and stared around, amazed by the amount of destruction he caused.

"Congratulations, Shortround, Scavenger. This was _quite _impressive," she told them.

"Thank you," Scavenger replied, optics brightening at her praise. "There must be more gas flows about!"

"Indeed." Thunderblast nodded with a wide smile. "And I would appreciate it if you two would find and ignite each and every one. Make this city _burn._"

"It will!" Shortround declared, getting to his feet. "Start searching, Scavenger!"

"Yes! Right away!" Scavenger hurried off, grateful to finally have something useful to do. Shortround followed him.

Thunderblast gave the burning homes one more look before walking off. A few blocks away she came across the rest of the Constructicons; Mixmaster had badgered Scrapper, Hook and Long Haul into helping him destroy a monument dedicated to one of the humans' past leaders. Apparently it was the statue's dimensions that he found deeply offensive. No _human_ must be allowed to be depicted as larger than a Decepticon.

/_You may want to take cover_/ she told them, looking back over her shoulder. /_I've counted_ _quite a few more humans jets here than were in Los Angeles./ _There must be more of those air craft carriers the jets originate from on this side of the land.

As she expected, they didn't acknowledge her warning, too intent on smashing the large seated figure. Thunderblast moved away from them and watched the aerial battle. Two jets got past Dirge and flew straight at Scrapper's group. She shrugged, not bothering to warn them again, and watched to see which one, if not all of them, will end up terminated.

The human pilots dropped altitude, skimming over the treetops, and fired on the Constructicons. Thunderblast almost laughed aloud as the first strike hit Hook and sent him flying. Now _that_ got their attention. Scrapper began shouting orders at them to take cover, at the same time venting anger at Mixmaster for his obsessiveness. Never mind that he allowed himself to be swayed by it in the first place.

Once they'd hidden themselves from the jets, with Long Haul carrying the damaged -- but still online -- Hook, Thunderblast moved on in search of Thundercracker, who'd apparently stopped battling the jets and landed somewhere. She opened a link to him. /_Where are you?_/

_/--I'm at a museum. Why do you ask?/_

She frowned slightly at his reply: For a Seeker, he was rather moody. /_I'm merely curious. The Constructicons aren't the most ideal of company_./

/_That is certainly true,_/ Thundercracker agreed; it did seem to be the universal sentiment toward Scrapper and his group. /_I'm at a museum called The Smithsonian._/

/_Thank you._/ She accessed a map of the Washington City and strode quickly over to the museum, keeping watch for any human jets that might come her way. The Smithsonian was surrounded by scaffolding, and closed for renovation, according to numerous signs posted.

_There won't be anything left to renovate, if Mixmaster sees it, _she mused. The building was rather ugly-looking to her optics.

Part of a wall had been knocked down. Thundercracker must have gone inside for some reason. Curious, Thunderblast stepped through the hole and into the museum. _Why would he have gone here? _she wondered, searching through the museum, and finding Thundercracker where the humans kept artworks.

Thunderblast planted her hands on her hips with a sharp clank. "I sincerely hope you're not developing a perverted interest in humans, as Shrapnel has!"

He turned and gave her a baffled look. "Perverted interest? What do you mean?"

"_He's_ created a holoform of a human male. I suspect he wants to_ play_ with some humans, the way the Autobots have with theirs," she told him, personally disgusted by the idea.

_Play_? Thundercracker stiffened, a dark frown forming at the suggestive wording. "Stay here. I'll be back shortly," he growled, and stalked off.

Thunderblast watched with mild interest as he stepped through the hole, transformed and flew off. _Stay? I think not. _She quickly left the museum, running at a fast pace in the direction Thundercracker had gone.

Thundercracker flew low over the streets, looking for Shrapnel. The search didn't take long; it was the sudden, high-pitched screaming that led Thundercracker to him. He changed back to robotic form, landing behind Shrapnel's beetle alt mode: a few yards away, his holoform had just captured a female human on the left side of the street. She struggled, kicking and scratching, as he pinned her beneath him. The sound of clothing being torn was clearly heard.

His optics flaring wide at Shrapnel's obvious intentions, Thundercracker glared at him with utter loathing. "_**Enough!**_"

One hundred strategically placed rounds from his incendiary gun left Shrapnel a smoldering husk.

The female had stopped screaming the instant her attacker vanished. With a bewildered look, she sat up and stared around, as if expecting her attacker to suddenly reappear. She screamed again when she saw Thundercracker a short distance away, scrambled to her feet and fled back inside her home.

He looked back down at Shrapnel's remains, shock starting to sink in over what just happened.

"Well, well... What happened here?" drawled Thunderblast. "A disagreement?"

Thundercracker spun around to face her, wondering how long she'd been standing there...and _how_ he was going to explain this?? _I killed a fellow Decepticon! _"Yes," he said, warily.

Thunderblast smiled at his tense posture. "Oh, don't worry. I'm fairly certain none of us will care about that one's demise. As far as I'm concerned, he encountered some humans who fought back."

"--thank you," he responded, puzzled by her willingness to help, but decided not to question it at this time.

"You're welcome. Now I suggest you rejoin the other Seekers, before they come looking for you."

"Yes.." Thundercracker nodded, transformed and flew off.

_I shall have to start creating conflict between him and Shockwave,_ Thunderblast thought, pleased with Thundercracker's initiative in terminating Shrapnel. She walked over to Shrapnel's carcass, firing a missile into him to express her own sentiments, before strolling away.

* * *

"What do you mean, Hook is _unavailable_?" Sixshot demanded, looming menacingly over the Decepticon in front of him.

"I meant exactly what I said. Hook is unavailable while he repairs his own injuries_." _Scrapper held his ground, he, Long Haul and Scavenger guarding the warehouse the medic had hidden inside to perform repairs on himself. Mixmaster was currently off-line while his armor self-repairs. Dirge stood back and watched the confrontation. "Especially for a minor injury like yours."

"Minor?!"

"That's why you called me here?" complained Scavenger. "Thunderblast wanted my help in destroying this city."

"You do not take orders from her," Scrapper peevishly reminded him.

"Replace optic! Repair foot!" Ravage waved the severed appendage about.

"Not until Hook is ready," insisted Scrapper.

"Just how was he injured?" Sixshot asked, annoyed at having to wait.

"_Someone_ failed to destroy all of the humans' jets," Long Haul stated, glaring at the Seeker in their midst.

Dirge glared back, resenting the criticism from the land-bound Decepticon. _"Someone's_ audio receptors appear to be malfunctioning."

/_Squabbling again!_/ Starscream contemptuously thought, transforming as he landed by them. "Why are you all just standing about?"

"Hook was damaged by a human jet. Sixshot and Ravage are waiting to be repaired," Dirge told him.

Starscream turned toward Sixshot. "Which Autobot did you kill?"

"None..." Sixshot reluctantly admitted. "But I did nearly terminate their medic, Ratchet."

"Medic die soon!" Ravage piped in.

"See that he does." Starscream scowled, displeased by the Autobots' victory, temporary though it was. If those two fail again, he'll simply have to send someone else to hound Optimus Prime. Perhaps Skywarp. He turned to Scrapper. "Hook is in there?" he asked, gesturing to the warehouse behind him.

"Yes. He insisted on complete privacy."

"I am not interested in what Hook wants," he retorted, annoyed with the medic's ridiculous fastidiousness. "Send Sixshot and Ravage in to him."

Scrapper continued to balk. "Hook made it clear that he does not want to be disturbed while performing self-repairs..Lord Starscream."

With a burst of anger at not being obeyed at once, Starscream aimed his cannon and fired, hitting Scrapper's upper right leg. Scrapper let out a thin, screechy sound of pain and anger, and fell back against the warehouse door. "I will _not _tolerate any further disobedience! Is that understood?!" Starscream looked around at everyone, who immediately nodded.

"Yes..Lord Starscream.." Scrapper muttered, stifling his resentment and bowing his head. He quickly sent a message to Hook telling him to cooperate, since Starscream was in a dangerously foul mood right now.

"Good. Now, the rest of you, we have a city to finish leveling. Dirge, stand guard, in case the humans have noticed these fools gathered here and attack," ordered Starscream. Dirge nodded, then leaped up onto the roof of the building for lookout duty. "Tell Hook to work quickly, Scrapper." Starscream transformed back to jet form and flew off.

Grumbling over the injury and insult, Scrapper sent Long Haul and Scavenger off, then followed Sixshot and Ravage into the warehouse. Whether he liked it or not, Hook now had three patients waiting in queue now.


	11. Chapter 11

Warning: This chapter contains brief torture; character death

* * *

"Jazz?" Sam shifted in his seat, worried. First his holoform had been deactivated, to conserve energy, now their speed had dropped a little.

"Yeah... We're gonna hafta recharge now, guys."

"I know," Optimus said in a resigned tone; he had hoped to get further away from Denver, but the recent battles had taken their toll. He scanned the surrounding, looking for a suitable place. "There is a large cabin on a hill that appears to be currently uninhabited. We'll stop there."

A few seconds later they turned off the highway, and drove up a long winding road. "Has Sixshot been taken prisoner, Agent Simmons?" asked Optimus as they all parked behind the cabin.

"They just got there...hold on..." he answered, phone to his ear. "Uh-huh.. Crap. He's gone."

"Hell..." Jazz grumbled. Just when something'd started to go their way.

"So Starscream did send aid," Optimus mused, surprised, and disappointed. "Ratchet?"

"---I do not sense anything at this time, Sir."

"All right. Were the Washington, D.C. evacuations successful?"

"It's still underway in the outer parts of the city," Will answered. "Most of the people've been moved to other states, like Virginia. Government officials are safe in underground bunkers now. Thanks for the tip, Ratchet."

"You're welcome, Major Lennox," Ratchet said, as they all opened their doors to let their humans out.

"They're pretty much doing the same thing they did in L.A.. Going after the skyscrapers." Simmons rubbed a hand over his face. It was gonna take a _long _time to rebuild, once those bastards are gotten rid of. He got out to unhook his SUV from Optimus.

"Yeah," Will said. "Most of the Air Force is in position to defend New York City; they'll probably go after it next."

"Good," Optimus said, hoping that a larger number of their jets will be effective against the Seekers.

Maggie grabbed her tote bag and hopped out of the Hummer. "How long do you need to recharge?"

"Approximately ninety minutes will be sufficient," Ratchet calculated. "Although Bumblebee might need a little more time."

"I'll be ready when you are," Bumblebee declared.

"Bee..." Mikaela ran a hand over his hood. "Don't short-change yourself, please."

"I won't, Mikaela," he assured her, gently nudging her legs with his bumper. "You should all go in now."

"Ok. Hey, how 'bout you and I take the first watch, 'kaela?" asked Sam.

"First watch?" Optimus inquired. "What do you mean?"

"Like, we take turns keeping an eye out for Decepticons while you guys are recharging," Sam explained. "We'll be...guarding our guardians."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Maggie commented, smiling charmingly at Ratchet. "Will and I'll be second watch."

"--prolonged exposure to cold weather would be detrimental to your health," Ratchet pointed out. "Even if it has ceased snowing for now."

"Fifteen minute shifts aren't too long, though, right?" Mikaela asked, and patted Bee's bumper.

"No, they shouldn't be.." the medic allowed. "You all have watches to time your shifts precisely?"

"We sure do," Sam told him, showing off his.

Optimus hesitated briefly before nodding. "We would appreciate that, then, Sam. Thank you."

"Here." Will pulled out two of the grenade launchers from his duffel bag and handed them to Sam and Mikaela, along with a pair of binoculars. "Just in case."

"Ok, let's get you inside," Jazz said, transforming to robot form and walking up to the cabin's front door. Within seconds the security system was turned off. "There ya go."

"Thanks, Jazz." Will gave his foot a friendly knuckle-rap before going in.

"Welcome, Captain." Jazz rejoined the other Autobots, transforming back and dropping into recharge.

"Ok, let's get some heat in here." Will immediately went to work on the fireplace, while Simmons sat down on the sofa and turned his computer on.

Maggie busied herself looking through the kitchen for food -- Simmons would probably throw a hissy-fit if she asked to borrow his laptop -- and found a suspicious bag in one of the cupboards. "Giant marshmallows. Perfect for roasting."

"Oh, of course," Will chuckled. "No self-respecting cabin would be caught without those."

"True." She laughed a little and checked the date on the bag. "Still fresh, too."

"That's good. Ok, fireplace is ready. I'll go haul in some wood."

"Hey, Will. What's up?" Sam asked when he went back outside.

"Just about to make use of the fireplace," Will told him, gathering up an armful of firewood.

Mikaela sighed and stamped her feet on the porch steps. "A warm fire..."

Will grinned and winked at her. "I'll make it nice and big. How do you feel about roasted marshmallows, too?"

"That would be _great_!"

"Almost like being back in camp." Sam smiled at the fond memories.

"Ok, will get at that right away, too," Will said, then hauled the wood in. Five minutes later the aroma of roasting marshmallows drifted throughout the cabin.

It was during their second turn as look-out when it happened. "You hear that?" Will quietly asked, training his binoculars on the highway below their hill.

Maggie nodded and followed suit. "Could just be a truck..." she trailed off when the source of the rumbling came into view, the bright moonlight glinting off it. It was definitely _not _a truck.

"That's the one that attacked the military base!" Will aimed his grenade launcher at it, even though the distance made attempting a hit impossible.

"Soundwave." Maggie held her breath when it suddenly stopped and backed up a little. _Ohmygod, it heard us!_

Will nervously tightened his finger around the trigger when Soundwave transformed, and looked up in their direction. _Oh, shit..._ he thought, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

__

"...I'm going to..." Maggie whispered, jerking a finger in the direction of the Autobots.

"What the-- It's leaving!"

"Huh??" She brought her binoculars up again. It'd transformed back to that weird-looking car and continued down the highway. "I don't understand..."

"Neither do I.. Gotta tell Optimus about this." Will slung his launcher over his shoulder, jogged down the steps and to the back of the cabin.

Maggie almost followed him, then decided to stay put, in case that thing comes back.

"Optimus!" Will ran up to the red and blue truck, lightly knocking on the driver's side door. "Optimus!"

The truck vibrated as Optimus pulled himself out of recharge and transformed, instantly alert. "What has happened?"

"Soundwave, on the highway, but he didn't stay. He looked right at us, but then just kept going," Will told him, still kinda creeped out by it.

"Did he release his drones?" Optimus asked, walking to the front of the cabin.

"No." Will followed him.

Maggie looked worriedly up at Optimus. "If he's told the other Decepticons where we are..."

"He may not have," Optimus said thoughtfully. "He's made no effort to rejoin them, which I'm certain will have angered Starscream."

"Well, that's good," she said, plopping down on the top step in relief.

"So what's the game plan?" asked Will.

Optimus rubbed the bridge of his nose, debating how to proceed. "We'll finish recharging," he decided, at length, "then continue on to Kentucky, at top speed." He looked down at the highway again, wondering what Soundwave was up to. If he wasn't after Autobots, then what? "Thank you for the warning," he said, turning to walk back to the rear of the cabin.

"You're welcome. And, uhm..enjoy the recharge," Maggie called out.

"I shall, thank you," he answered, a smile flitted across his face before he transformed again and dropped back into recharge.

Will and Maggie finished their shift without any more sightings and let Sam and Mikaela take over, after filling them in on what'd happened.

* * *

It was roughly an hour after the first unexpected encounter that Soundwave had a second. One that he was not going to ignore. It was a chance to mete out some punishment for Rumble. He changed to robotic form and fixed his angry gaze on the aerial Decepticon flying overhead.

Rather than bothering calling to Sixshot over a private line, Soundwave chose a more direct, and pain-inflicting, approach -- aiming with his concussion blaster and firing. The shot hit the center of one wing, and yielded the desired results. Sixshot turned and dived down at him. Soundwave braced himself.

Sixshot unceremoniously dropped his passenger and transformed an astro-second before colliding with Soundwave. They both crashed through the highway guardrail and fell, tumbling, down the mountainside.

"_No!" _Ravage slid to a stop at the edge of the road. "_No fighting!_" Neither gave any indication they heard him. "No fight--..." Agitated, he paced back and forth, then leaped down the mountain after them.

Sixshot grabbed hold of Soundwave and maneuvered him into smashing against a large boulder he'd spotted in their path.

Soundwave grunted, feeling his armor crack under the impact, and drove his fist into the side of Sixshot's head, hard enough to partly cave in the left side. Then he dug his fingers into the grooves of one of his wings, pulling on it to tear it right off Sixshot's back.

Growling a curse, Sixshot threw himself forward, and they continued their plunge, knocking down trees along the way, and landing in a half-frozen river at the bottom. Sixshot was the first to rise to his feet, but a shot from Soundwave sent him sprawling face-first into the water.

Soundwave came up behind him and placed a foot in the center his back, keeping Sixshot down while he aimed his blaster again.

"Nono!" Ravage screeched and jumped up, latching onto Soundwave's arm.

"Do not interfere, Ravage," Soundwave warned, shaking him off. The brief distraction allowed Sixshot to twist about and grab hold of his leg, throwing him down. They both got back up at the same time and lunged at each other, delivering hard blows.

"_No fight!" _Unable to think of anything else that might possibly stop them, Ravage threw his two proton bombs at Sixshot and Soundwave. The explosions weren't powerful enough to do much damage, but did succeed in halting the battle. For the moment. "My partner! Mine!"

"_What?" _Soundwave looked from Ravage to Sixshot, his anger growing. "I assigned Ravage to you as a guide!"

"That is exactly what he has been, nothing more!" Sixshot bristled at the implication, pointedly ignoring the sullen expression on Ravage's face, and warily backed away from the much stronger Decepticon.

"_Ravage!_" Soundwave snapped, calling him to his side. Ravage glanced at Sixshot before slinking over. "You still have to answer for Rumble's death, Sixshot. Perhaps now you would care to explain why you dropped him and Ravage into the middle of a battle, then stood back and counted the enemy's numbers?"

Sixshot shrugged dismissively. "I did not tell them to attack the Autobots. They did that at their own peril."

Soundwave turned his implacable gaze to Ravage.

Ravage meekly dropped his head between his front paws. "We were eager to fight," he admitted, speaking calmly now.

"Since you seem to have forgotten how to practice restrain, you're coming with me, Ravage," Soundwave decided. He did not want his small friend to form attachments to others -- _especially_ to one such as Sixshot, who had absolutely no interest in his well-being.

"It appears that he doesn't wish to," Sixshot observed when Ravage started to protest, then shut up. _Not that I care either way, _he told himself. This was just an opportunity to spite Soundwave.

"_That_ is hardly your concern." Soundwave glared at him. "Now, Ravage."

Ravage squirmed for an astro-second, then responded with a question of his own. "Will you help us find the Autobots and their humans?" he asked, optics blinking hopefully. "Female human killed Rumble..."

He regarded Ravage for a long moment, then slowly nodded. The Autobots weren't far from here, and Rumble's killer with them. It would not delay him very long. "Yes. The Interstate Highway I was traveling on is the same one they're using."

Ravage nodded. "Large road."

"We'll avenge Rumble, and this 'partnership' between you two will be finished. "_And I'll be able concentrate on finding, and freeing, Frenzy, _Soundwave silently added.

"Then let's find the Autobots," Sixshot ground out, fuming over Soundwave's including himself in the mission. He'd wanted to get this impromptu, and intolerable, encounter over with as soon as possible.

"Ravage." Soundwave opened a chest compartment for him.

He flicked a glance at Sixshot, who looked indifferent to Soundwave's decision, and made a huffing noise as he transformed and obeyed Soundwave.

"_You _will take me back up to the highway, Sixshot," ordered Soundwave. "From there we'll track down the Autobots."

"Very well." Sixshot resentfully changed back to his aerial form, barely giving Soundwave enough time to get a handhold before taking off.

* * *

"Where a-are we?" Sam asked, smothering a yawn. The seemingly endless hills and fields they were passing were making him sleepy.

"Just about a mile from Kearney, Nebraska," Jazz told him.

"--never heard of it," Sam said with a brief smile.

"Well, now ya have!" quipped Jazz.

"Wow, thanks!" Sam chuckled in return.

"We must leave this road," Ratchet interrupted their banter, sounding uneasy.

"Oh, no..." Maggie whispered, alarmed. "That Sixshot thing again?"

"Possibly..."

"He has been quite persistent," Optimus said in a grave voice, slowing down as he turned onto the next exit ramp. Now that the road was clear of snow, it was no longer necessary to tow Simmons' SUV, which would save time if he had to transform quickly.

"...bastard..." muttered Sam as he peered out into the darkness.

"Pretty much, yeah," Jazz agreed.

"You beat him before. You can beat him again," Mikaela stated, nervously clasping her hands together in her lap.

"Yes, we did," Bumblebee agreed, trying to stay positive.

Optimus silently drove through the town, finding a drive-in theater that was closed for the winter. That was a relatively safe place to park, and wait for their pursuer to show himself. They all transformed once their humans had gotten out.

Will immediately pulled out his cell phone. "There's an Air Force Base about a hundred miles or so from here. I'll see if they can send help."

"Thank you, Major Lennox," Optimus said, nodding to him, and instructed his Autobots to take up positions by the large movie screen while Will made the phone call.

"Well, there's bad news and not-so-good news..." Will said, after hanging up.

"Might as well tell us the bad news first," Mikaela sighed. Bumblebee made a small sound and curled his hand reassuringly around her. She smiled gratefully up at him, resting her elbows on his forefinger.

"Right. The bad news is they don't have any available fighter jets; they've been sent down to Texas, in case Dallas is attacked."

"Okay..." Sam ran a hand over his face. "So what's the not-so-good news?"

"Not-so-good is that they are sending us ground support, but it'll take them a couple hours to get here."

"Two hours?" Maggie exclaimed, looking over at Optimus. "Can we afford to wait here that long?"

"--that is unlikely," he said with a sigh of his own, and scanned the area. "There is a convenience store a short distance down the street that you can take cover in."

"Okay...but we're gonna keep an eye on you," Mikaela informed him.

Optimus smiled briefly down at her. "I'm certain that you will."

"Oh, good," she replied, smiling back. "I'd hate to disappoint you."

"Uh.." Simmons cleared his throat. "I'm gonna go find a gas station and fill up."

"Good idea." Maggie turned and hugged Ratchet's foot. "Be careful..."

"We will," he promised, stroking her back with one finger.

Sam hesitated a second before giving a hug of his own to Jazz. "Kick some ass!"

"You bet!" Jazz flashed a grin at him. "Now get goin'."

"Ok, ok!" Sam patted Jazz's foot, then followed the others as they trekked over to the store's parking lot. Once there, he fidgeted while Will set up surveillance at the end of the parking lot, pulled out his wallet and counted how much money he had left on him. "Anybody wants some instant carbs? Or caffeine?"

"I think we're all gonna need more caffeine. Lots of it," Mikaela remarked: Considering how the day's gone, she seriously doubted any of them's going to get any sleep tonight.

"Yeah." Sam nodded and went in to buy four lattes, or whatever was available. A couple minutes later he came back out with four cups. "Anything?"

"Not yet," replied Will, watching the drive-in with binoculars. The street lamps were bright enough that the Autobots were clearly visible to anyone who happened to look in their direction. Fortunately, there was hardly any night-time traffic in this part of town.

"Okay. All they have in there is hazelnut lattes." Sam passed out the drinks.

"Works for me," Maggie said, taking a long sip.

Mikaela nodded. "Same here. Right, Will?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Hazelnut's fine..." He absently drank drank some of it, then heard the sound of a powerful engine, getting closer fast. "Here we go..."

"Where?" Maggie asked as they all looked up at the night sky, expecting Sixshot.

"Dammit, it's Soundwave!" Will had dropped his gaze just as the SSC came into view, roaring down the street. "Guess he changed his mind..."

"Oh, shit..." Mikaela breathed, watching Soundwave transform and release his drones, who swooped down on Bumblebee, Ratchet and Jazz while Soundwave attacked Optimus. "We've gotta do something!"

"I know, but we've only got three grenades each," Will replied, frustrated and angry; he'd love nothing better than to avenge all the people those damn things maimed and killed.

"We can at least try to distract 'em," Sam urged. "Maybe even take out one or two, even up the odds."

"Let's do it," Will decided. "But target just those fliers. Leave the big guy to the Autobots."

"Ok, so we'll do hit and run strikes," Maggie said, and taking a grenade launcher Will handed them out.

"Exactly. Dump the cups and move out, everyone," Will ordered, crouched down as he led the way to the sidewalk.

"...sonofabitch..." Sam cursed, as the eagle thing dove down and clawed at Jazz's visor, almost ripping it right off, then veering away when Jazz made a grab for it. "Now, Will?"

"Need to get a little closer..." He adjusted his grip on his weapon, then sprinted across the street to the entrance of the drive-in. The others followed him.

"I'll take the giant bat," Mikaela said, kneeling down and aiming at it.

"That eagle on the left's mine," Sam declared, not taking his eyes off it.

"Ok, I'll get the other one," Will said.

"I guess that makes me a reservist," joked Maggie, wiping her palms on her pants.

Will smiled for a brief moment. "You can take out any that come after us, if we miss." He turned back to the brawl raging before them. "Ok, guys, as soon as you get a clear shot, take it."

"Come on..." Mikaela watched, getting pissed off, as the bat drone's claws gouged the left side Bumblebee's face helmet, right over his optic. The second it flew back up she fired, punching a huge hole in the middle of it's right wing. It make a shrill sound and fell, landing with a dull thump. _Yes!_

Sam and Will fired a moment later, hitting their targets: Sam's in the midsection, while Will's shot took off the top portion of one wing. Both drones floundered and plummeted to the ground. "Damn.." Will muttered; he'd been aiming for the head when it suddenly swerved.

Grimacing as he felt their pain, Soundwave stumbled back as Optimus Prime back-handed him across the face, then grabbed hold of the Autobot leader and threw him into the giant screen behind him. He turned to face the other three Autobots who were closing in. Where was Ravage? For that matter, where in the Pit was Sixshot/_Deal with these human annoyances/ _Soundwave ordered Ravage, opening links to both him and Sixshot. /_/Sixshot, where are you?/_

__

/Yes!/ came Ravage's immediate response.

/_Nearby/ _Sixshot answered, then condescendingly asked. /_Do you need help?/_

/_Hardly/ _Soundwave retorted, staying well away from the Autobot medic's accursed saw, and exchanging fire with the two smaller Autobots. _/I'm merely surprised by your cowardice./_

/_I prefer to fight my battles alone/ _Sixshot snarled back.

Soundwave cut the links as the Autobot leader got back to his feet and rejoined the fight.

"Just hold still for one sec'..." Will aimed at the huge eagle flapping about on the ground, and was about to shoot when he caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. "What the hell!" Something sharp sank into his upper arm just as he started to turn, and he was thrown aside like a rag doll.

"..._dammit..." _Will groaned in pain, clutching at his arm and sitting up, and getting a look at his attacker. It was the fourth drone -- the one that'd been with that other Decepticon, Sixshot -- in robot mode and heading straight for Mikaela. "Mikaela! Watch out!" he shouted a warning, but that thing moved so damn _fast!_

Before she could react it had reached her, ripping the grenade launcher from her hands. She let out a scream when it grabbed her around the waist.

Bumblebee whirled around to see Ravage lifting Mikaela off her feet. A wave of terror swept through him. _"**Mikaela!"**_

__

"**Bee!**" she yelled back, struggling wildly to get free, but the drone's grip was too strong.

Optimus turned as well, as Ravage swatted Maggie and Sam with his other hand, bowling them over, before escaping with his captive. "**_No!_**"

Soundwave quickly took advantage of the distraction Ravage provided and fired his concussion blaster at Optimus Prime.

__

/**Sir??**/ Bumblebee frantically pleaded, torn between an overwhelming need to try to save Mikaela, and his deeply-ingrained sense of duty to remain by his leader's side. Ratchet had already left the battle to tend to Will's bloodied arm. __

/**Go!**/ Optimus ordered, shrugging off the shot that hit his right shoulder, processors humming with fury. _If that drone harms her... _Growling, he charged Soundwave, slamming a fist into his chest with a satisfying crunch and forcing him back several feet. _/Let me know the second you find Mikaela!/_

/_Yes, Sir!_/ Bumblebee immediately transformed and took off to hunt down Ravage.

* * *

"Oof!" Mikaela found herself suddenly dropped onto her stomach. The drone's hand clamped down on her when she started to get up, shoving her back down and making it a little hard to breath. She sneaked a peek up at it, confused. Why didn't it just kill her? What the _hell_ was going on? "What do you want?" she demanded, somehow managing to keep her voice steady.

"Human not talk," Ravage said, idly tightening his fingers around it, just a little.

Mikaela gasped, tears of pain springing to her eyes as sharp edges of metal cut into her flesh, then kept quiet. _Please hurry, Bee...please find me..._

Since Soundwave was busy with the Autobots several blocks away, Ravage decided to open a link to Sixshot to gloat. _/Caught human!/_

/You've captured a human? That's very impressive/ Sixshot answered, sounding anything but impressed by his achievement.

/_Captured an Autobot's human/ _Ravage amended, disgruntled with Sixshot's dismissive tone.

__

/Did you now?/ he asked, interested now. /_Where are you?/_

For a brief moment Ravage considered refusing to tell him -- Sixshot had been a less-than-pleasant partner thus far - but perhaps offering him the human will improve his attitude. He gave Sixshot his coordinates, and waited for him to show up. It only took a few astro-seconds.

Mikaela turned her head, hearing what sounded like wings flapping, followed by a thud that shook the ground. Her first thought was 'griffin', and she blinked to clear her blurred vision. The thing that'd landed near her looked more like a wolf. A giant wolf, with huge leathery wings, thick, curved talons that looked razor-sharp, and the biggest damned fangs she'd ever seen. Sixshot, in a different, scary as hell, alt mode...

"This is the human?" Sixshot inquired, studying it.

Ravage nodded eagerly. "Killed Rumble. Was with yellow Autobot."

"Bumblebee, Optimus Prime's favorite scout." He spoke to it in English. "Where are the Autobots taking you and the other humans?"

Mikaela stared back at it in stony silence: Did it really think she was going to answer that? A cry of pain escaped her when one of Ravage's fingertips pressed into her leg, deep enough to scrape against bone. _Shit, that **hurts**! _"We're...going to...Disneyworld," she panted in an effort to stall, praying for Bumblebee and the others to arrive in time.

"Disney World?" Sixshot moved closer to the human, lowering his head and looking it straight in the eyes. "Why? What is there?"

"Mickey Mouse, of course," Mikaela replied, trying not to shake with fear as she braced herself for more torture.

Sixshot glared at the nonsensical answer, then a vindictive gleam brightened his red optics. "So you belong to the Autobot, Bumblebee? I suspect he's searching for you." He glanced at Ravage, who nodded in confirmation. "Call to him, then.. _Scream _for him."

"Go to hell!" Mikaela spat at it. There was **_no _**way she was going to help them ambush Bee. It actually smiled at her then, baring those wicked-looking fangs. _God, someone help me..._

Sixshot turned to Ravage, switching to Cybertronian. "Ravage, persuade it to cooperate, but do not kill it. I prefer to use live bait," he explained when Ravage looked puzzled by the condition.

Ravage nodded again, reviewing files of human anatomy Soundwave had shared with him shortly after arriving on Earth. One strategy occurred to him, which should yield fast results, and he picked the human up. It made a frightened noise, struggling in his grip as he began to slowly bend it.

* * *

A short, piercing scream echoed through the streets.

Bumblebee skidded to a stop, his processors freezing up in horror. **_Mikaela! _**He forced himself to calm down and continue functioning, to pinpoint where the scream originated, and sped off in that direction. Turning into some sort of industrial complex, he braked hard again, tires screeching, as he saw the figure lying prone in the middle of an empty lot. **_Primus, no! _**

Bumblebee transformed and rushed to Mikaela's side, scanning her. She was still alive, but unconscious and injured. There were numerous cuts, a deep puncture wound to her left thigh, and... He opened a panicked link. _/Ratchet! We need your help! Mikaela is----**broken**!/_

__

/Primus... What is your location./ Ratchet replied in a strained, harried voice.

He swiftly sent Ratchet the address, then heard Mikaela calling out his name, her voice barely audible voice.

"Bee?" Mikaela whispered again -- she felt so exhausted...couldn't even move. At all. _Oh, God... _she thought, more tears stinging her eyes as she remembered what happened. _Have to warn him...about Sixshot... _It was so hard to just stay awake now, but she _had _to try. "Bee...l-look ou--..."

Bumblebee crouched down beside Mikaela, reaching out to touch her with one finger, and pulling it back out of fear of doing more harm to her. "'kaela...Ratchet is coming, he'll help you..." he tried to sound confident as he reassured her, while desperately hoping that the others were able to defeat Soundwave by now, or at least drive him off.

"Your medic won't get here in time: Not for your little pet, or for you," Sixshot's mocking voice intruded on them.

His cannon extending instantly, Bumblebee rose, turning and firing away at Sixshot, and opening another link at the same time. /_Optimus! Sixshot is here!/ _he told his leader, shocked that both Decepticons had followed them to this town. Were they actually working together now??

Anticipating the shots, Sixshot folded his wings flat against his body and sprang at the Autobot.

Bumblebee got off one more blast before ducking and rolling away, his speed and small size helping him evade those dangerous snapping jaws. They both turned at the same time to face each other again.

/We_ will be there...as soon as we are able/ _Optimus replied, his voice heavy with regret and sorrow.

/_...understood, Sir.../ _Bumblebee said, also realizing the unlikelihood of his lasting even two minutes alone against Sixshot. The most he could hope to accomplish was to lure the Decepticons away from Mikaela, so she at least had a chance to survive. Apparently even that was too great a favor to ask Primus for: Behind Sixshot, he caught sight of Ravage standing over Mikaela, about to finish her off. His spark contracting with grief, Bumblebee averted his gaze from that horrific sight and once again tapped into his energy reserves. He rapidly firing his cannon at Sixshot, determined to inflict as much damage as he could, before the end.

Poking at it once, Ravage lost interest in the motionless human, turning away from it to watch Sixshot fight the yellow Autobot.

Staggered from the shots that struck his chest and front legs, sending sparks flying, Sixshot recovered and sprang at Bumblebee, knocking him over backward. Talons and fangs hooking into the Autobot's cannon, he twisted about, tearing the weapon off, along with most of the arm.

"No...Bee..." Mikaela sobbed, hearing a thin wail of pain from him before losing consciousness again.

Nearly helpless now, Bumblebee resorted to kicking out at the Decepticon, landing a hard blow to Sixshot's side before his right leg was ripped away. His optics flickered at the agonizing pain.

Tossing the limb aside, Sixshot dug his talons into the knee joint of the other leg, then paused to question the Autobot. "Where is Optimus Prime leading you?" he asked, yanking viciously on the armor plating. "Tell me, and I'll spare your pet human."

Bumblebee shuddered, pain receptors humming, but refused to fall for that lie. Mikaela was dead...and while he no longer cared what happened to him, he was _not_ going to betray his friends. He stared fixedly up at the night sky.

"He won't tell," Ravage stated as Sixshot tore off the other leg, drawing another keening moan from the Autobot. "Autobot is stubborn."

"Then I have no use for this one." Sixshot wrenched apart Bumblebee's chest armor, grasped the spark casing in his claws and ripped it in half. The spark surged once, pulsing brightly, before fading away. "He was a loyal soldier," Sixshot remarked, looking down at the dead Autobot.

Ravage made a disparaging sound, transformed back to feline mode and trotted off.

Sixshot watched him for a moment, speculatively, then smiled. This would be a perfect way to exact revenge on Soundwave. "Where do you think you're going, _partner?_"

"_Not _partner!" Ravage refuted. "Going back to Soundwave."

"By all means, run back to your master like an obedient little drone," he taunted.

Ravage stopped in his tracks and spun around, hissing at the insult. "_Not drone!_"

"Then prove it. A _true_ Decepticon does what _he _wants, regardless of what anyone else thinks."

He hesitated, looking at Sixshot, then back in the direction of Soundwave. He didn't entirely trust Sixshot, as he did Soundwave, but Sixshot's words did appeal to his rebellious streak. Soundwave would be very angry, though, if he stayed with Sixshot. He didn't want that...

Growing impatient, Sixshot made the decision for him. He snatched Ravage up and transformed to his other aerial mode.

Ravage squealed, startled, instinctively sending a plea for help to Soundwave as Sixshot flew off, with him in the cargo hold.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N. Sorry for the delay. This chapter took forever to write. -.-

Warning: Contains Jazz/Sam smut.

* * *

"How bad is it?" Will asked, leaning back against the side of the Hummer, feeling dizzy as the Autobot medic examined his arm. From the brief glimpse he'd gotten, it looked like his right bicep had been ripped wide open. There was a _lot _of blood, but hardly any pain now, thanks to whatever anesthetic they'd given him.

"The brachial artery was severed," a concerned Ratchet muttered, his holoform working quickly to repair the damage. "An injury such as this results in massive blood loss, and often times death."

"But you won't let it," Maggie was quick to point out, handing Ratchet whatever medical instruments he asked for.

"No, I won't."

"Ok, good..." Sam paced near the front of the Hummer, trying _really _hard not to freak out. "But what about Mikaela? Have you heard from Bee?"

"Not yet, but I'm certain that Bumblebee will find her," Ratchet assured him.

"...hope so..." Sam looked around, feeling useless, and having a tremendous urge to punch something, when he spotted those three smaller drones of Soundwave's clustered together. "What are they doing?"

"Hm?" Ratchet looked in the direction Sam indicated and frowned. "It appears that one...is attempting to repair the other two."

"Can it do that? I mean, it's just a drone, right?" Sam asked, he was under the impression that they were, well...stupid.

"I would assume not, but..." Ratchet trailed off; making an assumption of any kind was proving to be quite dangerous.

"We've got to take them out," Maggie exclaimed as she prepared a strip of bandaging, coating one side of it with a thick layer of that ointment stuff of Ratchet's.

"I'll do it," Sam determinedly stated, hefting his grenade launcher.

"Wait..." Will grimaced as he handed Sam his weapon with his other hand. "You'll need this one, too."

"Stop moving," Ratchet sternly ordered. The artery had been repaired, but the bicep muscles were shredded, and needed mending before the wound could be closed. He stiffened then, receiving Bumblebee's frantic message.

_/Ratchet! We need your help! Mikaela is--__**broken!**_/

_/Primus... What is your location._/ he asked, and informed the others, "Bumblebee has located Mikaela."

Sam came to a sudden stop and jerked around. "Where are they?? Is she okay?!"

"--Mikaela has been seriously injured," Ratchet somberly replied. "I am not sure how." That was true enough. 'Broken' could mean any number of things, and he did not want to panic Sam any more than he already was.

"Oh, no...No, no, no... You've gotta go help her!"

"I will, Sam...In a moment," Ratchet assured him, nearly finished mending Will's arm, and heard Bumblebee's second, even more alarming, message, sent over an open line. _Primus, no... _He looked back at the drive-in theater, where Optimus and Jazz were still battling Soundwave. /_Optimus!/_

_/I know.../ _Optimus grimly replied, trying to get close enough to the Decepticon to use his sword and end the fight once and for all. Soundwave, however, had anticipated that, and stayed just out of his reach. /_What is Major Lennox's condition?/_

_/His upper arm was badly damaged, but is repairable./_

_/As soon as you can, go aid Bumblebee/_ Optimus instructed, although he knew his medic had every intention of doing so anyway.

"Sam!" Maggie urgently called to him, pointing. The drone Will had shot had noticed him, and the weapon in his hands, and was charging toward him.

"..oh, shit..." Sam quickly aimed and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. It must've gotten jammed when he dropped it, thanks to that damn drone that took Mikaela. "_Shit!_" He started backing up, fast, when a black SUV sped into the drive-in. The drone let out a single, shrill cry as he got caught under the front right tire.

The SUV skidded to a stop, narrowly missing hitting the Hummer. "What the hell is going on?!" Simmons demanded, rolling down the driver's side window.. "I'm gone for five minutes and you guys decide to hold a Battle Royale?"

"..guess we forgot to send you an invite," Will joked, wiping sweat from his forehead, and grimacing when he accidentally jarred his injured arm.

"You must not move that arm for at least five hours," Ratchet firmly told him, taking the bandaging from Maggie. "Maggie, would you go to that store and purchase water? Major Lennox needs to rehydrate."

"Ok, be right back." She grabbed her wallet and took off at a run, hearing Simmons grumble about them attracting a crowd any minute now. When she got back a minute later with an armful of bottles, two of water and the other three types of sports drink, Will's arm was bandaged and being placed in a sling.

"Thanks," Will said, picking one of the sports drinks.

"You're welcome." Maggie stuffed the other four bottles into her tote bag.

"I must go to Bumblebee and Mikaela now," Ratchet said, deactivating his holoform.

"Wait! I'm coming with you," Sam announced, a _very_ determined look on his face.

Maggie nodded. "So am I."

"Count me in, too." Will got to his feet. "I can shoot one-handed if I have to."

Ratchet didn't even try to convince the three stubborn humans to stay behind. "Very well, but you will have to ride with Simmons -- Bumblebee is battling Sixshot," he bleakly informed them. "I will have to transform quickly when I reach them, and cannot have anyone inside me when I do."

"Oh, no..." Sam's face blanched white as he helped Will into the SUV. "That thing'll slaughter Bee!"

"--with any luck, we'll get there before that might occur," Ratchet replied, tamping down on his own fears. /_We're coming, Bumblebee!/ _

There was no reply, just silence from the other end of the link, filling him with a sense of dread. He sped through the streets, the SUV following, to the location Bumblebee had given him. An unnerving silence filled the air as he drove into the industrial complex, and saw Bumblebee and Mikaela. /_No.../ _

Ratchet immediately transformed, looking about cautiously, but there was no sign of Sixshot, or Ravage. They'd accomplished what they came here for, and had left, he realized, despair surging through his spark as he reached Bumblebee first. What was left of him, that is. An arm and both legs had been ripped away, and apparently thrown aside like so much scrap metal. His chest plates had been forced open, claws marks clearly visible, the spark casing destroyed.

_/Too late again.../ _Ratchet thought mournfully, head bowed, hardly noticing the SUV that skidded to a halt a couple feet away.

Sam jumped out first, staring in horror at the carnage. "_**..ohmyGod... Bee!**_" He tore his gaze from his best friend's body and yelled at Ratchet. "_**Do something! Save him**__!!"_

"I cannot," Ratchet answered in an aggrieved voice. "I'm sorry, Sam, but he's gone."

"No...no, he can't be!" Sam insisted, desperately trying to deny the obvious, but Ratchet just shook his head, giving him such a sympathetic look that he just had to turn away. _**Why**__ is this happening?? _he wondered, stumbling over to Mikaela and dropping to his knees, fully expecting her to be dead, too. Then he noticed that she was still breathing. "_**Ratchet! Mikaela's alive!"**_

"What?" Startled by the news, the medic hurried to her side and scanned her. "_Primus_..."

"What is it?? What did it _do_ to her?!" Sam demanded, brushing some hair out of her face. Her skin felt cold and clammy. Not good.

"--her spine has been fractured," Ratchet told him, retrieving all the information he had on the subject from his memory bank.

"Christ.." Will had come up behind Sam, while Maggie stood next to Ratchet. What kind of monster would do that to someone, and just leave them lying there?

"Oh, _God_...But you can fix it, though, right? Right??" Sam pleaded as Ratchet changed back to Hummer mode and reactivated his holoform.

"I am not equipped to repair this type of injury in a human," Ratchet answered honestly. "Major Lennox, please call for aid for Mikaela."

"Yeah, I'm on it." Will pulled out his cell phone, thankful he'd been keeping it in his left coat pocket. The sound of two loud engines made him spin around, then he relaxed when he saw that it was Optimus and Jazz. They both transformed before they'd even rolled to a stop.

"...aww, hell..." Jazz mumbled, as he and Optimus stood over their dead friend, their metal frames drooping in grief. "Not Bumblebee..."

"...Sam?" Mikaela's eyes fluttered open.

"Mikaela?!" He picked up her limp hand, clutching it tightly between his.

"Sam...help Bee...please..."

Sam glanced over at Bumblebee, grateful she couldn't see his dismembered body. "He... He's ok, 'kaela. He's fine," he rasped, his throat tightening so he had to force those words out.

"...thank God...'' she whispered, drifting off again.

_...can't believe I lied to her! _Sam thought, feeling horrible about it. Ratchet asked him to move aside, then. He laid her hand on her stomach, got up and stepped back.

_Mikaela?! _Optimus had dragged his attention from Bumblebee's body and walked quickly over to her. She looked so pale and vulnerable... _/Ratchet, can you help her?/ _he asked, his tone urgent, as the medic tended to Mikaela.

/--_I can reverse the shock her body is in, and return her blood pressure and other vitals signs to normal levels, but her back.../ _Ratchet paused to scan Mikaela again; the damage was severe. /_It is highly unlikely that she will ever regain mobility/ _he finished with a sad sigh.

_/She is...paralyzed?/ _His optics darkened with anguish when the medic simply nodded.

Ratchet glanced up at him, recalling the battle. "Soundwave?"

"Gone," Optimus replied, still looking down at Mikaela. "Something diverted his attention from us."

"Yeah.. He looked so mad, I thought he was gonna blow a processor," Jazz added in a dull voice, going over to Sam and picking him up. "Took his drones with him. One of 'em looked pretty squashed, though."

"Simmons ran it over with his car.." Sam told them, staring down at one of Bumblebee's legs. _This whole day's turned into one long horror movie._

_Can our luck get any worse_? Will wondered as he hung up his cell phone. "The hospital here won't be able to send an ambulance for at least half an hour -- something about a nasty pile-up on the East-bound lane of the highway."

"Wanna bet that slagger Soundwave caused it?" Jazz growled.

Ratchet's holoform straightened and looked steadily at Optimus. "You have to continue on to Mammoth Cave."

"_Of course!" _Sam blurted out, reminded of just why they've come this far. "We'll get those Cube pieces, and bring Bee back!"

"We can't take Miss Banes with us," Simmons stated the obvious, having stayed in the SUV, and out of everyone's way.

"No, you cannot. I will remain here with her, until help arrives," Ratchet decided.

Maggie gave him a brief, worried look before carefully bandaging the hole in Mikaela's leg. She had more color in her face now, which was a good sign.

"Not by yourself." Will stepped forward. "I'll stay here, too -- gotta be here when those troops arrive, anyway. We'll catch up with you later."

Optimus directed a deep frown at them, concerned over the danger they would be placing themselves in. "Sixshot or Soundwave might return."

"Send out a message," Jazz suddenly suggested. "To those Autobots that landed today. Tell 'em to come here."

"_If _they are Autobots, they may not arrive in time," Optimus cautioned. "The message could be received by others."

"Meaning it could bring all the Decepticons here, too...like sharks smelling blood." Sam sat down with a small thump. _Dammit, it's about time things go our way for a change!_

"They might not come right away," offered Jazz, closing his fingers around Sam. "Might even have to recharge themselves by now, since they've been--busy."

Maggie listened to the exchange, her anxiety growing, and took off her coat to cover Mikaela with it. _Have to keep her warm... _

"That is also a possibility." Optimus closed his optics, hesitating, then looked at his medic.

"Send a message," Ratchet advised. The plan was risky, as his leader said, but sending for those other Autobots may well be their best chance of surviving if the Decepticons do come here.

"Very well." Optimus glanced once more at Mikaela before moving away from the group.

"Sam? What do you wanna do?" Jazz asked as he watched Optimus.

"Uh..." Sam chewed on his bottom lip, wrestling with indecision. He did _not _want to leave her, but he also felt he _had_ to help them find those pieces of All Spark, to save Bee and fix his screw-up. "We've gotta go to Kentucky," he finally answered, trusting Ratchet and Will to not let anything else happen to Mikaela. Or Bee! He looked over the side of Jazz's hand at them. "Make sure Bee doesn't 'disappear', okay?"

"Not gonna happen, Sam. I swear," Will declared.

"We will not let anyone take him away." Ratchet scanned Mikaela's vital signs again, then turned to Maggie. "You must go with Optimus and Jazz."

"What?" Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Like hell! I'm staying here with you!"

"You'll be safer with them," he reasoned, using his most persuasive tone.

She shook her head emphatically. "No."

Ratchet tried again. "Please don't argue. You have to go with them."

_I __**have**__ to?!_ Maggie fumed, then stared at him, puzzling over his wording. _Have to? _"Is this some kind of psychic prediction you've had? Like with the Decepticons?"

A small frown crossed his face as Ratchet considered her question, then nodded. "I do feel that you must accompany Optimus to Mammoth Cave."

She looked at him a moment longer, torn, and glanced at the others. Will had a cell phone to his ear, telling those Army soldiers where to meet him now. Jazz set Sam down and changed back to his car form. Optimus was standing near Bumblebee and Mikaela...and that was one of the saddest expressions she's ever seen on his face.

"Maggie?" Ratchet pulled her into his arms, holding her close.

"Ratch'..." Maggie closed her eyes and hugged him tightly. "I don't want to leave you."

"I know, but it is necessary," he said, quietly persistent. "Go with them. --Please?"

"...all right..." she finally agreed. "We'll see you again in Kentucky."

"I will do everything in my power to ensure that," he vowed, smiling reassuringly at his mate.

"We really should get moving," Simmons prompted, now that those two've settled their difference of opinion.

"Yes..." Ratchet concurred, kissing Maggie before letting her go. "You should go now."

_That is so like him...turning all business-like on a dime, _Maggi_e_ reflected as she stepped back, away from him. Which was a _lot_ harder to do than she'd expected. Pulling herself together, she glanced around at the others. Jazz and Sam will want some alone time, naturally. Simmons... No way. That left Optimus. She walked over to him and put a hand on his foot. He looked down at her, blinking. "Erm...hi. Do you mind if I ride with you?"

"Not at all, Maggie," he answered with a polite smile, and transformed into his alt mode, opening the passenger door for her. She looked back at Ratchet -- who was focused on Mikaela now -- before climbing in. He closed the door for her once she was in the seat. "Jazz, Agent Simmons: Roll out."

Ratchet watched them leave, then turned back to his patient.

* * *

"--you ok, Sam?" Jazz asked, once they were back on the highway, leaving Kearney behind. His human was just staring straight ahead, sitting so tensely he was bound to end up with aching muscles.

"No..." Sam shifted guiltily in his seat. "I told Mikaela that Bee was all right, when he was...he..."

"Yeah," Jazz's holoform said, sympathetically. "I probably would've said the same thing, so stop beating yourself up about it."

"Huh?" He looked at Jazz, wondering if he was just humoring him. "You would?"

Jazz nodded. "I think bad news was the last thing 'kaela needed to know. 'sides, Bumblebee will be alright, once we get hold of those All Spark bits."

"--don't you you mean _if_ we get them."

"Hey, don't get all negative on me."

_"_Negative?" Sam twisted around to face Jazz, fear suddenly boiling up inside him. "Are you kidding?? Bee's dead! Ironhide's dead! We might never see Ratchet again! Or Mikaela and Will! Those bastards are knocking us off right and left! We're all gonna die!"

Taken aback by Sam's outburst, Jazz raised his own voice in response. "_No, _we're _not!" _He lowered it, continuing more quietly. "We _will _reach Mammoth Cave. And I'm bettin' we'll hear from Ratchet pretty soon, telling' us those Autobots are there with him, so don't you start giving up, Sam."

"I'm not, it's just...easier said than done sometimes. You know?"

"Yeah, we know. --man, do we ever," Jazz added, almost bitterly.

_Idiot!_ Sam thought, furious with himself. _Dumping that on Jazz, of all people! "_You're right," he said, apologetically, almost fidgeting under that intense, unwavering gaze of Jazz's. "We're gonna make it to that cave, and you'll finally defeat the Decepticons."

Jazz regarded him a few seconds longer, then chuckled. "A-ha! I knew you'd see things my way."

"What, are you saying I'm predictable?" Sam asked with a faint smile.

"Well... Maybe a little," Jazz teased, giving him a wink. His strategy was working; Sam seemed a little more relaxed now.

"Uh-huh.." Sam looked at him for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed him.

_Hm...that's a nice surprise, _Jazz thought, swiftly releasing the seat belt and tugging Sam over to him.

Sam suddenly found himself in Jazz's lap. "Uhm.. Is now really a good time for this...?"

"Good a time as any we've had lately, I'd say," Jazz said as he relieved Sam of his coat. Both of them could really use a break, after a day like this one.

"...might have a point there..." Sam answered, squirming as his body instantly reacted to those hands that slid inside his sweatshirt, running up and down his back.

"Oh, yeah..." Sam's wriggling sent a very pleasant buzz through his sensors. "Whaddya say? You up for some 'physical interaction'?" he purred in Sam's ear, his hands moving down to his backside and squeezing.

"_Yes.._" Sam had to admit, growing painfully hard. Jazz always had that affect on him.

A mischievous grin crossed Jazz's face. "Me, too."

"Whoa!" Sam exclaimed when he was practically dragged to the back seats, ending up on his back under Jazz.

"This too physical for you?" he asked, and planted a hot kiss on Sam.

"N-no.." Sam stammered, instinctively bucking up.

"Great!" Jazz smiled, then focused on getting those bulky clothes off him. Less than twenty seconds later they, and Sam's boots, were tossed toward the front seats.

"Wow.. That was fast," Sam marveled at the speed-stripping.

"Yup. Had a lot of practice." Jazz chuckled, his hands roaming over Sam's now-bare skin, and thinking back to all the parking lots they'd gone to, just to be daring. He removed his holo-clothing when Sam tugged at them and pressed his body against Sam's, drawing a loud gasp from him. After several more heated kisses, he figured Sam was ready for more now. Lifting himself up enough to turn Sam over onto his knees, Jazz gripped his hips and positioned himself.

"J-Jazz.." Sam gasped out his name when he slowly pushed inside. _Damn, that feels incredible._

"Sam..." Jazz replied in a near-growl, rocking deeper into that tight heat.

Bracing himself against the car door, Sam groaned as Jazz began thrusting in a slow rhythm. His right hand slipped down to wrap around his erection, stroking roughly. And, as usual, Jazz noticed what he was doing.

"Hey, lemme take care of that for ya," Jazz said, reaching around Sam.

_Typical Jazz... _he thought, letting the expert take over. And Jazz was _really_ good at it. Those hands of his... A shudder wracked his body.

Jazz paused when Sam groaned again, louder this time, then moved faster, changing the angle. That always sent Sam into overdrive, so to speak.

"Uhn! Jazz!" Sam shouted, pushing hard back against Jazz as he came.

Jazz thrust deep one more time before pulling out, settling himself and Sam on their sides on the seats. "Feelin' better now?" he asked, a confident grin in his voice as he draped an arm over Sam.

"...you know I do..." Sam mumbled, his brain still in a fog.

"Oh, sure. I was just checkin'."

"Right.." He almost laughed at Jazz's quirkiness, then came back to reality. "How's Mikaela? Can you talk to Ratchet?" he asked, his worries returning.

"Hang on.." Jazz relayed the question to Ratchet over a private link. "Ratchet says she's doing as well as he'd expected."

"Okay...good.." Sam rubbed the back of his neck, relieved, and looked around. "--where'd my clothes go?"

"There." Jazz pointed to the front of the car.

"...I'd better get dressed..." Sam sat up, reluctantly leaving the very comfortable position he'd been in and climbing over to the front seat to gather up the scattered clothing. "Jazz?"

"Yeah, Sam?"

"My turn next time."

Jazz flashed another grin at him. "Lookin' forward to it." He shifted his holoform back to the driver's seat, and turned on some music for Sam. They still had a few hours' drive ahead of them to get to Kentucky. And the cave.

* * *

_I can't __**stand**__ this anymore! _Maggie turned away from the scenery she was starting to despise -- every mile that went by took her farther away from Ratchet -- and got up from her seat. "Excuse me.." she said, and went to the sleeper part of the truck. Ignoring the sparse furnishings, she sat down in front of one of the doors, wrapping her arms around her legs.

Optimus contemplated whether or not he should leave her to her thoughts: Ratchet did say once that some humans have drastic mood swings from time to time. Judging from her expression, though, her current mood was one of misery. "--Maggie?"

Maggie flinched, her eyes darting in every direction. "Yes?"

"What is wrong?" he asked, curious.

"Nothing," she quickly said, then gave up trying to pretend. "Sorry, but...I feel like I'm talking to the ceiling when you guys do this. It's kinda weird."

"I see." He searched through his databanks for an adequate human model, creating a holoform that she would feel more at ease with.

Maggie almost gasped when a man suddenly appeared out of nowhere. _Optimus, _she realized, embarrassed, and stretched out her legs. She watched as he flexed his arms and legs, getting used to the holoform.

He was tall, black-haired and well-built, dressed in a red shirt and pants, and attractive, Maggie idly noted. The eyes, though, were the same bright blue color as his optics. Just like Ratchet's. She turned away from him and stared down at the floor.

"Does this make you uncomfortable?" Optimus inquired, confused by her reaction.

"No, it's not that. I just...I never thought I'd feel this way about anybody. Like there's a part of me that's missing, without them." _Why did I just tell him that? _Maggie wondered, her face reddening. He had so many important things to deal with, much more important than listening to her rambling. "That must sound ridiculous to you."

"No, it does not." He sighed heavily and sat down beside her. "We also miss the companions we've been separated from, very much, and we grieve for those that perished."

Maggie turned toward him, swallowing hard at the sadness in his voice. "You must've lost a _lot_ of friends..." she trailed off, regretting bringing up the subject in the first place.

He nodded slightly. "Yes. More than I'd ever wanted to remember."

"But you'll be able to bring them back to life, once you have the Cube. The pieces, I mean."

"That is what we are hoping for," Optimus replied, a hint of pessimism in his voice, despite a resolve to keep his doubts to himself.

"You don't believe Simmons?" she asked, a huge knot forming in her stomach. This can't have all been for nothing!

"I do, but.." He briefly paused, thoughtful, and continued. "It is possible that those pieces were discovered and removed. They may even have been drained of their energy." Maggie stared at him in dismay, then dropped her face in her hands. "There is a good chance that

Simmons' plan will succeed," he amended, disconcerted. This conversation was going very badly. Clearly it would have been best if he'd just stayed quiet.

_God, I've cried more times today than I did all last year! _Maggie wiped at her cheeks before looking back up. "It will! It _has_ to!" she declared with fierce conviction, clutching a fistful of his shirt. That seemed to make Optimus stiffen up a little. _Great, now I've invaded his personal space. _"Uh...sorry..." She let go, smoothing down the material.

He shook his head at her apology. "The fault is mine. I did not mean to distress you, Maggie."

"Optimus..." She smiled ruefully at him. "To be honest, I've been on an emotional roller coaster all day, and I can't wait to get off it."

"We'll reach Mammoth Cave at approximately three o'clock in the morning." Optimus hesitantly put an arm around her. To comfort her, nothing more, he told himself.

Maggie started at the gesture, then relaxed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Then this bloody war will finally be over, and you'll finally have want you've wanted."

"Yes," he said, simply.

Maggie looked at her watch. Not even ten o'clock yet. It was funny how some days can drag on and on, while others seem to fly by in just a few minutes. Why, in eight days it'll have been six months that her and Ratchet have been together, and nearly five and a half since Ironhide joined in. It sure didn't seem like it's been that long.. "Do Autobots observe anniversaries?"

"Anniversaries?" He blinked at the unexpected question. "No, we don't."

"Oh. Ok. Was just wondering." Well, duh. Of course they'd view time differently than humans do. She had absolutely no ideas on how to mark the occasion, anyway. There wasn't really anything that Ratchet or Ironhide needed; they were so self-sufficient.

She put that out of her mind and closed her eyes, listening to a familiar humming sound. It was louder than Ironhide's. Stronger. She could even feel a faint vibration, too, coming from Optimus' holoform. After a minute, Maggie sneaked a glance at him. He was looking at the far window, frowning. "--what are you thinking?" she asked.

Optimus looked back down at her, hesitant, then answered in a low voice. "I--am concerned about Mikaela."

"Me, too." She nodded, then arched an eyebrow. That sounded like more than just worry to her. "You really care for her, don't you?"

"Yes," he said, in a neutral tone.

"--maybe even..love her?" Maggie ventured, raising her head and watching him closely.

"...yes..." he admitted with a deep sigh. Oddly enough, tonight, of all nights, did seem like an appropriate time for confessions.

_Wow...I had no idea... _Optimus was pretty good at hiding what he thinks and feels. "Um... Does Mikaela know?"

"I'm certain that she does not."

"You never told her...?"

"No, I have not," Optimus confirmed. "She loves Bumblebee, and is very happy with him. As Sam is with Jazz," he added, at length, glancing at Maggie.

_Sam, too?? _Now that was a surprise...except it wasn't, really. The Autobots must think the idea that someone can only love one person at a time is completely illogical. She didn't believe it herself, _especially_ now. That he'd defer to his two lieutenants, regardless of his own feelings, wasn't a surprise, either. Optimus has the biggest heart of all of them. Figuratively speaking.

"Maggie...would you--" Optimus cut himself off; he'd already said quite enough. "I must ask you to not speak of this to Sam and Mikaela."

"I won't, I promise," Maggie swore. The whole situation was kind of sad, but this was probably for the best. Probably...

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." She yawned; that humming was making her drowsy "You're really easy to talk to," Maggie murmured, leaning into him. In fact, this must be the longest conversation she's ever had with him.

"Thank you," Optimus repeated, smiling fondly down at the top of her head. "You appear tired; you should sleep now."

"Yeah...that would be nice," she said, her eyes slowly closing.

"Yes, it is." Once he was certain that Maggie was sound asleep, he carefully lifted her in his arms, moving her to the bed situated at the very back of the compartment.

She stirred when he laid her down on it and squinted up at him. "...are we there?" Maggie asked, only half-awake.

"No, not until morning."

"Mhm...tomorrow..." Maggie stretched out on the bed and went back to sleep.

Optimus waited until she'd settled down again, then covered her with the thin blanket. "Good night, Maggie," he said quietly. On an impulse, he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

_That was careless, _he chastised himself. Fortunately, she did not wake up again.

Optimus prudently deactivated his holoform, and waited patiently for news from Ratchet.

* * *

It'd taken the threat of being ejected, roughly ten thousand feet above the mountain range they were flying over, to get Ravage to behave. The small Decepticon had spent the first breem of the journey clawing the walls in a bid to escape. That was rather painful to Sixshot, and took a few cycles to self-repair.

Now Ravage was lying in a corner, silent and sulking, like a Sparkling.

That brought up a few questions. How similar to Sparklings are he and his 'siblings'? Has Soundwave deliberately kept him and the others stunted for his own purposes? Ravage, at least, was capable of learning. Was he also capable of developing, and maturing normally? It might be interesting to find out...

And speaking of Soundwave...he was again attempting to open a link to Ravage. Sixshot decided not to block it this time and listened in, for his own entertainment.

_**/Where are you?!/**_

Ravage cringed, flattening himself to the floor. /_Flying over mountains/_ he timidly replied. /_Not my fault!!_/

/_I know that, Ravage./ _He made an effort to keep the fury out of his voice now. /_Do you know where Sixshot is taking you?/_

Sixshot broke in on their link to answer that personally. /_Since you're so desperate to know, Soundwave, we are going to Washington, to rejoin Starscream and the others. You do remember them, don't you?/_

/_Release him. __**Now!**_ Soundwave growled, ignoring the taunt.

/_I might..if and when I grow tired of him./_

Ravage made a huffing sound and glowered, not much liking his 'partner's' answer.

/_The next time we meet, I __**will**__ kill you, Sixshot/_ Soundwave told him, in a cold, flat voice.

_/You can try/ _Sixshot scoffed, and closed the link, blocking further contact between them.

"Soundwave is very angry."

"Yes, I noticed that," Sixshot said with smug satisfaction.

"..will let me go now?" Ravage asked, semi-hopeful.

"No."

Ravage grumbled. Sixshot was doing this just to spite Soundwave? "Why?" he asked pointedly.

"No more questions," Sixshot snapped, reducing altitude as he flew over Washington city.

Annoyed, Ravage stretched out his front legs, his claws leaving a set of deep gouges in the metal floor. Sixshot retaliated by abruptly rolling sideways, which flung Ravage into a wall.

"I told you so stop that," Sixshot reminded him as he picked himself back up.

"--won't do it again," Ravage grudgingly conceded defeat. At least Sixshot didn't dump him out, like he'd threatened.

"Good." Sixshot opened the cargo door to let Ravage out before transforming and approaching Starscream and the others.

"Report, Sixshot," an irritable Starscream ordered.

_Someone's put him in a foul mood,_ Sixshot thought, keeping track of Ravage, who made no attempt to run, staying close to him instead. "Optimus Prime's little spy, Bumblebee, is dead. His pet human was damaged. Neither would tell me where they were going, however."

"Soundwave helped fight the Autobots," Ravage interjected, which earned him a scowl from Sixshot.

"_What?" _Starscream stalked closer to him. "You found Soundwave?"

"He found us, actually." Sixshot grimaced at the memory. _I will be ready for him next time. _"He kept Optimus and the other two Autobots preoccupied while I killed Bumblebee."

"Where is he now?" Starscream sharply asked.

"I do not know. However, he had insisted that I return Ravage to him. I chose not to comply."

He looked from Ravage to Sixshot and smiled, imagining Soundwave's rage over Sixshot's theft of his precious drone. In fact, this would be an excellent punishment for the deserter. "You may keep the drone, then, for as long as you like, Sixshot. As a reward."

"Thank you, Lord Starscream." Sixshot inclined his head, smiling as well. If Ravage does not tell Soundwave, he would be more than happy to share the news.

Ravage stared up at the two of them, stunned, and fearful of the outcome of this decision. Soundwave will never accept it. That meant that he and Sixshot will fight again. Starscream will have Soundwave terminated for killing Sixshot; Ravage did not doubt for an astro second that Soundwave would win the battle. And that meant that he -- along with Ratbat, Buzzsaw and Laserbeak -- will be alone. By the Pit, was there any way out of this predicament?

"What are your orders now, Lord Starscream?" Dirge asked, impatient to move on.

"We shall destroy the humans' nuclear power plants; the results will be very impressive." Starscream flicked a glance in Thunderblast's direction; she looked pleased with the prospect, as he'd anticipated: That one's shown a particular interest in huge explosions.

"New York City is not far from here, and has a population of over eight million humans," Shockwave stated. "Why not target that next?"

"Wait." Scrapper spoke up when Starscream started to reply.

"What?!" Starscream turned toward him, frustrated over his orders being constantly questioned.

Scrapper crossed his arms, defiant, his Constructicons standing directly behind him. "We have as much right in deciding where to go on this world as any of you!"

His hands twitching, Starscream calmed his temper, with some effort. The last thing he needed right now was an all-out rebellion. He choose to respond with amusement, instead of anger. "Indeed. I do apologize if I've offended your delicate sensibilities," Starscream replied, studiously avoiding glancing at Skywarp when he snickered. "Where would you prefer to go?"

_Delicate sensibilities?! _Scrapper fumed over his leader's phrasing while Longhaul answered.

"We've done some research, and discovered that much of the humans' technology is manufactured in two areas, Japan and China."

"Vastly inferior technology, as we all know," added Mixmaster. "Those centers of production must be destroyed!"

_I suppose I should be grateful that he's stopped ranting about bridges..._ Starscream thought. "I see."

"What is your opinion, Thundercracker?" Thunderblast asked, to make him feel a little more pressured, and curious to see who he would take the side of.

Thundercracker remained silent for a few astro seconds, resenting being dragged into the argument. _I should never have come with them to this planet. _He's seriously considered simply leaving, but that would also mean abandoning his fellow Seekers, which was **not** an option. Not to mention it would make him appear a coward to them, and the other Decepticons. No, for now he was basically trapped. Unless...perhaps he can find a way to convince the others that exterminating the human race was not worth the time and effort. And speaking of the others, they were all looking at him now, waiting for an answer.

"--I agree with Scrapper," he finally replied. Japan and China were much larger than one crowded city. The humans would have a greater chance of fleeing and surviving the attack. It would also cause far less damage than destroying the nuclear plants. Now, to give_ them_ a reason that was entirely plausible. "It will frighten these creatures more to know that we can strike _anywhere_ on this world, in a very short period of time."

"It certainly will." Starscream nodded; he did have a valid point. "Where shall we go first, Scrapper? China, or Japan?"

Satisfied for now, Scrapper consulted his group. "China."

* * *

"You should conserve your energy," Ratchet advised. Major Lennox had spent the past twenty minutes alternating between pacing and sitting down with his back against one of the Hummer's wheels.

"Yeah, I know..." Will sat down again, his nerves on edge from doing nothing but wait. "--they should be here soon..."

"Yes." Ratchet nodded, putting a bottle back in the bag Maggie had left with them. Mikaela had woken again, and been thirsty. He'd sent Will over to that store to bring back a straw, to help her to drink some water. She'd also asked to see Bumblebee, but had fallen asleep before he could come up with an excuse why she couldn't at this time. Bumblebee's body had been moved to a nearby storage facility and locked safely away in one of the units. He glanced over at a very tense-looking Will. "Are you feeling well, Major Lennox?"

"Yeah... Just wondering what kind of reception I'll get. I'm pretty sure they aren't going to arrest me," Will explained when Ratchet looked puzzled. "It's probably because they _know_ I'm with you that they haven't declared me AWOL. They don't wanna piss you guys off, on top of everything else."

"We would not appreciate them punishing you for helping us," Ratchet admitted. Some humans laws were strange...

"How's Mikaela doing?" Will asked, changing the subject.

"She's in stable condition," he replied, running another full scan on her.

"Ok, good.." Will was about to call 911 and ask about that ambulance again when he noticed lights in the sky. Moving lights, heading their way. Whatever it was, it was big, flying way too low to be a passenger plane, and had too many lights to be a helicopter. "...what the hell is that?..." He got up and took a few steps toward it, staying within the light of the lamp posts.

"What?" Ratchet looked up, frowned, and stood.

"_**Holy shit**__!!"_ Will instinctively crouched down as the huge craft made a slow circle above them. "Jesus.. What the _hell's_ big enough to copy a space shuttle?!" He remembered his grenade launcher and picked it up, balancing it on one knee. _Lotta good this'll do, against __**that!**_

"Do not fire, Major Lennox," Ratchet advised, a relieved smile on his face as he watched the 'shuttle'. _Thank you, Primus..._

"--he's on our side?" Will nervously kept a tight grip on his weapon, but did lower it as he got up. The shuttle thing actually stopped in mid-air! Hovering above the buildings a couple streets away to the right before landing.

"Yes." Ratchet nodded, still smiling. "His designation is Broadside."

"Broadside?" _Well, that sure fits him; he's freakin' __**huge**__!_ Will jumped a good foot when Ratchet's holoform vanished and the Hummer transformed. He was about to ask another question when his grenade launcher was yanked away from him. _"What the __**hell**__?!"_

"Ratchet, who is this with you?" a voice asked, sounding very suspicious, and coming right out of thin air.

Will hastily backed up, putting Ratchet between him and Invisible Guy. This has got to be the spookiest damn thing he's ever seen! Or not seen, as it was.

"His name is Will Lennox, and he is a friend," Ratchet answered mildly. "Now please stop frightening him, Mirage."

"Very well."

A second later an Autobot suddenly appeared, standing about a meter away from them. Not quite as tall as Ratchet, he was white, with some blue trim.

"Where is Optimus Prime?" Mirage asked, looking curiously from the medic to the small Earth native hiding behind his left foot. "What exactly has been going on, Ratchet?"

"I'll tell you everything that's happened, once the others are here."

"--looks like that'll be any second now.." Will remarked, looking past them. A pair of headlights turned a corner and came down the street toward them, followed by another pair, then another... Eight in all, followed by that humongous Autobot, Broadside. _**Yes!! **_Will grinned at the sight of them, and looked up at the white one. "Mirage, huh? Mind if I call you Ghost?"


	13. Chapter 13

A.N. This (shorter) chapter morphed into an interlude of sorts, featuring Maggie and Optimus.

Warning: Contains smut, smut, smut...

* * *

/_Optimus!/_

_/Ratchet? What has happened??/ _Optimus asked, alerted by the urgency in his medic's voice.

/_I am with some old friends of ours right now/ _Ratchet replied, sounding very pleased.

/--_Who?/ _He waited anxiously for an answer.

_/Mirage, Wheeljack, Arcee, Broadside, Grapple, Hoist, Ultra Magnus, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and Prowl_./

Tremendously relieved by the report, Optimus opened a second private link. /_Thank you for coming./_

_/You're welcome, Sir,_/ Prowl primly responded.

/_Damn, are we glad to hear from you guys!!/_ Jazz enthusiastically put in.

/_It is good to speak to you again, too, Jazz/ _Prowl said, in a less formal tone. /_We do have a few questions, Optimus, but I think we should keep this transmission short, as a precaution./_

/_Agreed. Ratchet will explain the current situation to you,_/ Optimus told him, also concerned that Soundwave might take notice and trace them, if their conversation continued much longer. He, too, had questions, but they were better asked in person.

/_Yes, Sir/ _Prowl said, and closed the link.

"Maggie," Optimus called to her; she would want to be told the good news at once.

"...no...wait..." she mumbled, then rolled over onto her stomach, hugging the pillow.

_Wait? Oh.. She must be having a dream, _he realized, activating his holoform to tap her on the shoulder.

"...huh?" Maggie lifted her head and looked blearily up at him, blinking several times before remembering where she was. "--I'm on a bed?"

"Yes."

"It's...a bed."

"Yes, it is. There was one inside the truck I'd scanned to use as an alt-form," Optimus explained when she still looked baffled.

Maggie turned back over and sat up, shaking her head a little to dispel a weird, itchy feeling in the back of her mind. "So...it's actually part of you?" she asked. _--he's sure thorough with his disguise... _

"Yes." Optimus nodded. "I've just heard from Ratchet."

"You did?!" Wide-awake now, Maggie pushed the blanket off her and jumped up from the bed. "Is he all right?"

"Ratchet is fine." He smiled at her. "The Autobots that arrived this morning are with him now."

"Oh, thank God! Or Primus! Or.._whoever_!" she laughed, and threw her arms around Optimus.

He awkwardly hugged her back, determined to ignore the feel of her body against his holoform. That resolve began to crumble when she suddenly kissed him.

Maggie quickly jerked back when he went all stiff and rigid. _I did __**not **__just do that! _"Optimus, I..." she started to apologize, but stopped short when his arms tightened about her, and forced herself to look up at him. To her surprise, he didn't seem annoyed. Instead, his expression was one of...yearning? The next thing she knew, she was kissing him again, and he was kissing back this time. Half a minute passed before she came to her senses and pulled away from him again. "I'm sorry. I got _really _carried away there..." Maggie muttered, her face growing hot.

"We both did.." He put more distance between them, disturbed by his loss of control. _Of all the foolish, reckless things to do... _Maggie looked extremely embarrassed, and bewildered. "It is very good news," Optimus said, in an attempt to explain away their behavior.

"Right..." She nodded distractedly, her mind spinning. _What am I, addicted to Autobots or something? _Maggie shook her head at that. She liked Bumblebee and Jazz well enough, but she'd never throw herself at them, like she just did with Optimus. It _should_ feel wrong...

"Maggie?" Optimus tentatively spoke up. Her expressions were changing so rapidly, he couldn't tell what she was thinking.

Maggie gave him a blank look. "What?"

_She's obviously in no mood to talk now, _he morosely assumed. "--you should try to get more sleep." Optimus said, and shut down his holoform. _As I should have done right after waking her._

_Not likely, _she thought, too wound up now to even think about sleeping. Maggie sat down on the edge of the bed, chewing on a thumbnail as she tried to figure out exactly what her feelings toward Optimus were. Admiration, respect...and, yes, affection, too. There was a time when she wouldn't have thought twice about boffing a guy like him, as long as he wasn't married, of course, and make herself forget about him afterward. That was before Ratchet and Ironhide, though. Things were very different now. _She_ was different. Why, then, was she _still _feeling attracted to Optimus? _Bloody hell, this has gotten way complicated._

Which was why he never told Sam and Mikaela how he felt...and spent so much time away from the base. He'd been avoiding them_. That must've been so lonely for him, _Maggie reflected, with a strong urge to do _something _for him. _Like what? _she asked herself. _Offer to take Mikaela and Sam's place for one night?_

It wasn't the worst idea she's ever come up with...

Optimus might feel insulted by the proposal, and Ratchet would be furious. Or would they? Maggie tried to look at it from their point of view. From what she knew of them, Autobots had no qualms about...sharing. She smiled a little, imagining what Glen's advice would've been about this: '_Damn, girl, quit thinkin' it to death and just go with it_!'

"Optimus?"

"Yes, Maggie?" he replied in a strictly polite voice.

_He wears stoicism like an extra layer of armor, _Maggie noted. It was one of the reasons he's survived so long. "Is there any way I could talk to Ratchet? I don't have a cell phone..."

"Yes, there is. I can open a link that you can speak to him through, but it would have to be brief, to avoid detection by the Decepticons."

"Okay." She nodded. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Maggie waited a couple seconds. "Ratchet?"

"Hello, Maggie," he said warmly.

"Hi." She closed her eyes for a moment. It was _so _good to hear his voice, after worrying about Decepticons showing up there again. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I am; I'm with friends now," Ratchet assured her.

"I heard. Thank Primus for that," she said, smiling. "I can't wait to see you again."

"I'm looking forward to that, too...among _other_ things."

"Oh, absolutely!" Maggie laughed at his suggestive tone, rubbing her forehead. "I..uhm..I do have one more question. You'll probably think it's crazy, though..."

"What do you need to know?" Ratchet asked.

She hesitated, then came right out with it. "Would you be pissed off if I joined with Optimus?"

"Maggie?!" Optimus exclaimed, astonished.

Nervously clasping her hands together in her lap, Maggie waited for a reply from Ratchet. It came sooner than she expected it to.

"No, I have no objections. It's not insane, either, but...I would not want you to do anything you may regret."

"I won't," she promised, surprised by his calm response. "I'll see you soon, love."

"Definitely," Ratchet replied in that same warm tone. "Goodbye, Maggie."

"Bye, Ratch'." _Huh..._ He didn't sound angry, or even surprised, really. Had he 'seen' this coming?

"Why?" a dubious Optimus questioned Maggie, after closing all links with Ratchet. _This can't possibly be happening--can it? Does she seriously want to...?_

_Time to explain this rationally..if I can. _"Well... Bumblebee told Mikaela that you plan to use the All Spark pieces as a lure, to get the Decepticons to leave Earth."

"Yes, I do," he confirmed.

"So...after tomorrow we'll never see you again, and I just want to give you a happy memory before you go. Well, I _hope _it'll be happy. I mean, I know I'd just be a substitute..." _Ok, that sounded __**really **__bad. _She stood up, raking her hair back from her face, then boldly asked. "Do you want to, or have I just made a complete ass of myself?"

_She does use some odd phrases at times, _Optimus thought, amused, and reactivated his holoform in front of her. "--Yes. I would like to," he admitted, looking down into her eyes. "Is this what _you_ truly want?"

She met his gaze steadily and nodded. "Yes."

"With no regrets?" Optimus asked, giving her an opportunity to change her mind.

"No regrets," Maggie asserted. Slowly lifting her sweatshirt up and off, she dropped it on the floor, then removed her boots and the rest of her clothes, feeling him watching her the entire time.

"Maggie." He reached up to cradle her face in his hands, thumbs stroking her cheeks. "Will you join with me?"

"Yes..." She sighed at the caress, head tilting upward when he leaned down and kissed her.

No longer resisting the rush of desire, Optimus deepened the kiss when Maggie responded to him and slipped an arm around her, pressing their bodies together. She moaned into his mouth, her own arms sliding around him. "Will you scream with pleasure?" he asked, moving down to kiss the side of her neck.

Maggie sucked in a breath, head tilting back. It all seemed surreal; he knew _just_ the right spot. "_Ooh_...yes..." He moved down to her collarbone, biting lightly, as they sank down onto the bed. "Optimus," she moaned, wriggling a little when he settled between her legs; she hadn't even noticed when he got rid of his clothes.

Optimus kissed her passionately again as he slowly entered her, pausing momentarily when she wrapped her legs around him. Then, with one firm push, he was fully embedded in Maggie. "_**Uhh!**_" he groaned, dropping his forehead against her shoulder. _Primus, she's so tight...and wet.._

_"Uhn!" _Maggie gasped when he thrust inside, her eyes widening. He was big, almost as big as Ironhide, but...different. She squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering at the intense throbbing. Then he started moving. "_P--Pri--Primus..." _she stammered, trying to hold back as long as possible.

"_Primus...yes..._" he rumbled, pushing deeper into Maggie with steady, powerful strokes, and listening to her moans grow louder. A short time later she stiffened, and her body tightened around him. This is what the humans call an orgasm, he recalled, groaning at the sensation.

She let out a scream as she peaked, then promptly blacked out.

"Maggie?" Optimus raised up on one arm and looked down at her when she didn't respond. "Wake up, Maggie," he coaxed, stroking her cheek.

She roused, opening her eyes. "Huh?"

"You were unconscious," he told her, disconcerted. Had he done it wrong somehow?

"Mmhm...off-line. Yeah, I've done that a few times, with Ironhide. He's..erm...very strong," she explained, blushing. "But not as strong at you, of course."

"I'm glad to hear that," Optimus said, with a small chuckle.

Maggie smiled, then rubbed her cheek against his chest. "Ratch' told me that the holoforms have sensors, and that's how you 'feel' things."

"Yes." He kissed Maggie's neck again, his hands gliding down her sides. "You, for example: You felt warm..soft..wet..."

_Oh, my... _She shivered, turned on by his words, and those hands stroking her. "I..ah..I think we all pretty much feel like that. It is a little different with Sam, though. What we call...erm...back door," Maggie added, her blush returning.

Optimus nodded. "I've researched human mating, out of curiosity. That can also be done with females."

"M-hmmm." She smiled at some very pleasant memories involving Ratchet, and Ironhide.

His hands moved further down, over the soft curves of her hips, before sliding under her. "May I?"

"Sure," Maggie agreed without hesitation. He moved to the side, against the wall, and she rolled onto her hands and knees. The pillow caught her attention while he knelt behind her, and she reached up and pulled it down.

"Maggie..."

_So he really can feel this. _"Yes?" Maggie glanced over her shoulder at him, looking innocent, and playfully rubbed against the pillow again.

He gave a mock growl at that, before easing himself into her.

"_Uhh_!" She gasped, pushing back against him, and he gripped her hips to keep her still. _"Optimus!"_

"_**Maggie**__..." _he groaned, sliding in and out of her. _Primus, she feels even tighter this way..._

_God, do they __**all**__ like to take their time? _Maggie dropped her head down on the pillow, moaning with each slow thrust.

Optimus felt her began to tense up minutes later and pulled out, turning Maggie over and burying himself inside her again as she climaxed, calling out his name. "Maggie?" he said, after a moment.

"Mm.." She smiled hazily at him. "Didn't faint that time."

"Good." He smiled in return, then slipped an arm around her and reversed their positions on the bed.

Maggie sighed and snuggled in his arms, feeling _very _relaxed as Optimus slowly rubbed her back. "Hmm...I wonder..."

"What?" Optimus asked, curious.

"I was just thinking... Now that I'm on top, maybe I should take advantage of it," she said with a grin.

"Really?" His eyes brightened with interest.

"M-hm. Like this." Maggie sat up and scooted back. _When did it start raining buckets? _she wondered, glancing at the far window, then thought, _Who cares! _She moved into position and slowly lowered herself onto him. Eyes closing in rapture, she started rocking back and forth.

Optimus accessed the file he'd saved on human mating, to find how to respond to this method. _Ah, yes.._ he thought and bucked his hips in time with her movements.

"_Oooh_..." she moaned as he was pushed in even deeper, and placed her hands on his chest for balance, riding him fast and hard now.

"_**Primus," **_he growled, moving faster as well, matching the pace she'd set. The friction this produced had his processors humming. She pressed down harder on him, crying out as she came, and slumped forward against his chest, breathing heavily. "You're tiring? We should stop now," Optimus recommended, putting his arms around Maggie.

"No..not yet.." she protested, rubbing her body against his as she kissed him. She really did _not _want this night to end. That convinced him to agree to her request. Optimus rolled them both over and thrust into her, moving as fast as she had a moment ago. "_Uh! Yes!" _Maggie panted, running her fingernails down his back.

"Yes..." He kissed Maggie's neck again, just below the right ear, and worked his way down, biting lightly. She gasped loudly when he reached a _very _sensitive spot just above her shoulder, arching up against him as she climaxed, then went limp.

Optimus stopped, lifting his head and looking down at her. "--Maggie?" _Unconscious again._ _That is a peculiar tendency of hers, _he thought as he withdrew and moved off of Maggie, intending to let her sleep the rest of the way to Kentucky. Unfortunately Simmons, who'd been mostly silent since they left Kearney, suddenly cursed.

"Sonofabitch!" His voice was clearly heard coming from the truck cabin, through the connection the Autobots had established to his cell phone. "Dammit. Got a flat."

Optimus opened his end of the link to speak to Simmons. "A flat tire, you mean?" he asked, relieved that the problem was minor, for once.

"Yeah," Simmons said, irritated. "Gotta pull over and replace it with one of the spares. It'll take just a few minutes."

Maggie roused when the truck braked, rising up on her elbows. They can't have reached Kentucky already; she was pretty sure she wasn't out _that _long this time. "What's going on? Why are we stopping?"

"Agent Simmons' vehicle has a flat tire," Optimus told her as he and Jazz both pulled over behind the SUV.

"Oh, great..." She got up and took a couple steps, then made a face at herself. _I could __**so**__ use a shower right now, _Maggie thought, and looked over at the window. _Hmm... Well..._ _prancing about naked during a rainstorm is one thing I've never done before in my life._

Maggie grabbed one of her gloves to use as a sponge, opened the left door a bit and peeked outside. There was no sign of Jazz; he must be up front by the SUV. She could hear Simmons insisting on changing the tire himself. That man's paranoid streak was a mile wide. Opening the door wider, she hopped out of the truck, and and almost shrieked when the downpour hit her. She'd expected it to be cold, but it was still a shock at first. After a few seconds, though, it was exhilarating. She ran her fingers through her hair, then got started on cleaning up.

The rain created a fascinating sheen on Maggie's pale skin, Optimus observed, splitting his attention between her and Agent Simmons. Surprised to feel desire building up yet again, he shifted his holoform over to Maggie. She gasped in surprise when he turned her around, pulling her into his arms and kissing her.

"Mph...mmm." Maggie kissed back eagerly, her pulse racing with excitement. _...wild sex in a rainstorm is another... _His hands circled her waist, and she hooked her legs around his back when he lifted her up.

Optimus braced Maggie against his truck form as he pushed inside her, then moved back again. Gripping her hips tightly, he pulled her down while thrusting up into her. "..yes...faster..." she urged, and nipped at his ear. Lightly biting her neck in return, he complied, moving her up and down on him as he thrust faster. It wasn't long before her body stiffened. Maggie tossed her head back, screaming as she came, squeezing him tightly. He groaned at the sensation, thrusting a couple more times before stopping.

Maggie rested her head on his shoulder, catching her breath, then looked up. "Mm... That was lovely," she purred, kissing the base of his throat.

Smiling at the _very _satisfied expression on Maggie's face, he lifted her up and set her down on her feet. "You should get out of the rain now," Optimus advised when she started to shiver, and the door opened for her.

"Right..." Now that she wasn't all over him, literally, she felt cold again. She quickly finished her impromptu shower with the glove she'd managed not to drop, then threw it away and climbed back into the sleeper. Optimus' holoform was already back in the sleeper, fully clothed again, and wrapped the blanket around her. It felt kind of scratchy, like wool. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Maggie," he said, rubbing her shoulders and back.

_Mmmm...that feels nice... _She busied herself with using one end of the blanket to give her hair a rubdown, and glanced over at the bed. The sheets looked crisp and new now, instead of rumpled. Self-cleaning? Or did he just rescan the bed from memory. Maggie considered asking Optimus about it, but was too tired now to concentrate on what would probably be a complex explanation. "--I hope Simmons didn't hold you up too long," she said, feeling shy all of a sudden, for some inexplicable reason. That was rather absurd, all things considered.

"He did not. We were able to convince Agent Simmons to let Jazz help him," he told her, a tad exasperated with that stubborn human.

"Well...that's good..." Maggie quickly dried off the rest of the way. Optimus had her clothes picked up, folded neatly, and set next to the pillow when she she was done. "Oh, thanks," she said, smiling to herself as she put the blanket down on the foot of the bed. Like all Autobots, he can move _really _quickly when he wants to.

"You're welcome," he said, watching as she started to dress.

Maggie pulled on the socks on first, then her underwear. The sweatshirt was next. She paused for a moment, massaging her temples.

"Are you feeling well?"

"Yeah..just tired."

"You need more sleep." Optimus nodded decisively.

"M-hm." A power-nap was definitely in order, but first.. She looked up at him. "You should tell Sam and Mikaela how you feel. They just might surprise you."

"_You _certainly surprised me," Optimus said with a fond smile. _And a wonderful surprise it was._

"I surprised myself," she confessed, fighting back a blush, then looked self-consciously down at her feet. "I...uh...I didn't really have anything to offer, except myself.." _Well, that sure came out wrong. "_I mean..."

"Maggie.." Optimus grasped her chin, lifting her head back up. "I would not have wished for anything else," he told her, his smile widening.

_Great, now I'm getting all sentimental, _Maggie thought, blinking back tears as she hugged her friend. "I will miss you, after you're gone..."

"--I've not doubt that Ratchet and Ironhide will keep you preoccupied," he teased, sliding an arm around her, and firmly suppressed a brief surge of envy.

"I'm sure they will," she chuckled, then turned serious again. "I really do think you should tell them, though. Just admit how you feel."

"I'll..consider it," he told her, still wary that doing so could make things quite difficult, for everyone. "Maggie, I... Thank you, for your gift."

"I'll never forget it." Maggie kissed Optimus one last time before letting go of him.

"Neither will I. Now sleep," he instructed. "Tomorrow will be a long day."

"Yeah. A lot's gonna change tomorrow," Maggie said, yawning again, and quickly grabbed the sweatpants and put them on. That done, she practically flopped down onto the bed. _Well, that was real graceful.. _"Oops...Sorry.."

"That's all right. You do not weigh very much," Optimus informed her with a small chuckle.

"Oh, ok. Thanks." Smiling, Maggie finger combed her hair before lying down, spreading it out on the pillow to finish drying. "Goodnight, Optimus."

"Goodnight, Maggie." He covered her with the now-dry blanket, then leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well."

"Mm.. Will do." She closed her eyes, and was out in seconds.

Optimus turned off the lights in the sleeper cab as he deactivated his holoform again. Jazz choose that moment to open a link to him.

"Hey, Optimus. Things are sure lookin' up for us now."

"Yes, they are, Jazz," he agreed.

"Hope Maggie hasn't caught a cold or somethin'," Jazz said, in a cheerful voice.

"I don't think she was out in the rain long enough for that to happen." Optimus paused. "--You watched?"

Jazz replied in typical unrepentant fashion. "Just a little bit. Had to see what all that noise was, ya know? Simmons was wonderin' about it, too. I told him it was some kinda bird. Don't think he believe me, but he looked like he really didn't wanna know. Sam slept right through it, though. Good thing I'm sound-proofed," he added, a grin in his voice.

"Jazz... I would prefer it if that did not become common knowledge. And do not mention it to Maggie. Some humans do not appreciate spectators." Optimus recalled the incident with Mikaela and Bumblebee several months ago. He prayed that she will recover from her injury, despite Ratchet's dire prediction.

"No prob', Optimus. I won't blab."

"Are the Decepticons still being tracked?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, they're about halfway over the Atlantic," Jazz reported. "Don't know yet if it's all of 'em, but Sixshot's with the group now. Soundwave was last spotted still heading East."

"Is there anything else?" Optimus wondered where Soundwave was going, and why.

"Dunno... Congrats, maybe?"

"...thank you..." he said dryly. _Incorrigible, _Optimus grumbled to himself, hearing Jazz chuckling as he closed the link. One thing that will never change was his first lieutenant's carefree disposition. In a way, it was actually comforting. He turned his thoughts to tomorrow, coming up with a contingency plan.

If Mammoth Cave does prove to be a huge disappointment, there was still a chance of saving the human race. Especially with Prowl, Ultra Magnus and Broadside among the Autobots that landed today. The odds were strongly in _their_favor now, not the Decepticons, if it comes down to a battle. All he would have to do is issue an open challenge to Starscream. His position as their new leader was far from secure. He would have no choice but to accept, or else appear a coward to them, and be deposed.

_One more battle...then the war will finally be over, _Optimus thought, relief sweeping through him. _Assuming that that cave is empty, of course_. _Either way, the Decepticons will be defeated once and for all._


	14. Chapter 14

Warning: Contains a random OC death

* * *

"The All Spark is gone?" Arcee whispered, her voice crackling with shock. After countless vorns of fighting for it, Cybertron was lost to them forever now... She bowed her head in despair.

"Unfortunately, yes," Ratchet somberly replied, glancing about at the other, equally stricken, Autobots. "But there is still hope."

"Why was the All Spark given to that human, Witwicky?" Prowl asked as he awkwardly put an hand on Arcee's shoulder. She didn't appear tof notice, though, so he removed it.

"Because Bumblebee trusted him," Ratchet told him.

"An error in judgement, I'd say," criticized Sunstreaker, arms crossed over his chest.

"Are your audios broken?" Sideswipe asked him. "Ratchet said that human saved Optimus' life, and destroyed Megatron."

"Along with the Cube!" Sunstreaker retorted, finding it hard to believe that their leader had been desperate enough to need an Earthling's help.

"You said 'there is still hope', Ratchet?" Ultra Magnus spoke up, after casting a brief, stern look at the twins, which effectively put an end to their potential argument.

_Damn, this guy is __**cool**! _Will thought, watching the former city commander. All the Autobots were talking in English; Ratchet had persisted in using it when Mirage popped in on them, and hadn't stopped, for which he was extremely grateful.

_/Ratchet./_

_/Optimus? Is something wrong?/ _He hadn't expected to hear from his leader so soon after informing him of the the arrival of Prowl's group.

/_No../ _Optimus said, in an odd tone. /_Maggie wishes to speak to you./_

_/Ah.. I'd like that, thank you/ _Ratchet said, as he began telling the others about Agent Simmons, the founding members of Sector Seven and their actions, and Mammoth Cave.

_/Ratchet?/ _Maggie said, through the link to Optimus.

_/Hello, Maggie./ _he replied, smiling, but noticed that her voice sounded strained, too.

_/Hi./_ There was a slight pause before she spoke again. _/I just wanted to make sure you're okay./_

_/I am; I'm with friends now./ _

_/I heard. Thank Primus for that/ _Maggie said. /_I can't wait to see you again./_

_/I'm looking forward to that, too...among other things./ _

_/Oh, absolutely_! she agreed, laughing. _/I..uhm..I do have one more question. You'll probably think it's crazy, though.../_

_/What do you need to know?/_ Ratchet asked, and waited to hear what was bothering her.

There was another pause. _/Would you be pissed off if I joined with Optimus?/_

Startled, Ratchet almost lost track of his narrative to the other Autobots.

_/Maggie?!/_Optimus instantly opened a second, private link to him. _/Ratchet, I had no idea she was going to ask that!/_

_/Hmm.../_ He'd rarely heard his leader sound this flustered. /_May I ask what exactly preceded her request?/_ Ratchet astutely asked, while showing Prowl and the others the scans he'd made of Simmons' great-grandfather's journal, and the map.

_/I--We kissed/ _Optimus admitted, with a deep sigh, then quickly tried to explain. _/We were relieved to learn that you were safe. You know that I would not--/_

_/Optimus.../_ Ratchet interrupted, a tad vexed with his reticence. _/We've all been under a great deal of stress; you more than any of us. It is normal to seek an outlet for it./_

_/What do you mean, I more than any of you?/_

_/I know you've been monitoring the humans' news stations for the latest death tolls, and holding yourself responsible for them, when you shouldn't/ _Ratchet said in mild rebuke.

_/I had not thought you were too proud to accept comfort from someone as well./_

He replied to Maggie's request while Optimus mulled that over. They would have to close the link soon. _/No, I have no objections. It's not insane, either, but...I would not want you to do anything you may regret./_

_/I won't/ s_he said emphatically. _/I'll see you soon, love./_

_/Definitely. Goodbye, Maggie./_

_/Bye, Ratch'./_

_/Whatever you and Maggie decide, I do trust you to be careful with her/ _Ratchet told Optimus.

_/Yes, of course I will/ _he said, sounding thoughtful now, instead of guilty. /_Thank you, Ratchet, for your advice./ _

_/You're welcome, Optimus/ _Ratchet replied, and both links were closed a couple seconds later. Ratchet turned his full attention back to the other Autobots. "We do not know how many pieces of the All Spark are in that cave system, but Simmons is convinced there must be at least nine. Possibly more."

"I _cannot _believe the humans actually tried to disassemble the All Spark." Ultra Magnus shook his head at the humans' brazen actions.

"It was foolish of them," Ratchet agreed, "but they did not intentionally damage it."

"This one is of some importance, Ratchet?" Wheeljack asked, looking down at the unconscious female human he seemed to be standing guard over.

"Yes. Her name is Mikaela Banes, and she is Bumblebee's mate."

"What?" Arcee's head jerked back up, optics blinking in surprise. "Bumblebee has a mate?"

"A human?" Prowl echoed, perplexed as he glanced at the two small humans among their group.

"Yes, using his holoform. So has Jazz, and I and Ironhide, as well."

"But..why? Is it some sort of ritual you had to participate in, in order to remain on this world?" questioned Prowl, his confusion growing. What possible reason could they have for taking humans as mates?

"No," Ratchet calmly told him, reminding himself that Prowl's processors worked differently from those of most Autobots. "It was our choice to."

"Is this something the four of you do on every world you visit?" Sunstreaker just had to ask, and got a poke in the back from his twin.

"_Of course not!" _Ratchet glowered at Sunstreaker, who shrugged.

"We're only trying to understand your motive," Ultra Magnus explained.

Arcee made an exasperated sound. "I'm sure the 'motive', as you call it, is love, not social acceptance. Or as a lark."

Ratchet inclined his head in her direction. "Thank you, Arcee."

"But..." Prowl began, then gave up trying to interpret their behavior. It was a private matter, anyway, and no business of his.

"This human has been damaged," Wheeljack stated upon examining Mikaela Banes more closely. He had thought she was in a state of recharge, until he scanned her.

"Yes," Ratchet said, looking sadly down at Mikaela. "She was attacked by a Decepticon. I'm afraid Mikaela is now paralyzed, permanently."

"Which cowardly piece of scrap metal did this?!" Arcee demanded, bristling with outrage. Bumblebee was one of her closest friends, and while she may have once hoped they would become more than friends, she refused to be jealous of this human he'd chosen. He deserved to have some happiness, after knowing nothing but war his entire life.

"And where is Bumblebee?" Mirage asked. It struck him as very odd that Bumblebee wasn't by his mate's side.

"It was Sixshot, along with Ravage," Ratchet answered, then told them the rest of the painful news. "Bumblebee was killed by Sixshot. --Ironhide is also dead, killed during an attack by the Seekers earlier this day."

"_**No!!**_" both the twins and Arcee practically shouted in unison.

"Quiet!" Prowl warned them, glancing around nervously. Losing Bumblebee and Ironhide was tragic, but they must _not_ draw unwanted attention to themselves.

"The Decepticons will pay for this!" Broadside swore, his deep voice low with suppressed anger, while the others muttered curses in Cybertronian.

"And they will, once Optimus has possession of the All Spark fragments," Ratchet reminded them all. "Those will restore Bumblebee and Ironhide, as Jazz was."

"--do you believe that human, Agent Simmons, can be trusted, Ratchet?" asked Arcee, uncertain, but still hopeful of saving her friend, and her mentor.

"Yes, I do," he firmly insisted.

Wheeljack straightened to his full height. "We must do everything possible to repair Bumblebee's mate. Ratchet, I will need to know all that you've learned about these humans."

"Humans are delicate, and her injury is quite severe," Ratchet cautioned, and watched Wheeljack's optics glow brighter at the potential challenge. "--It may be better if you let her own kind tend to her."

"We cannot allow her to remain disabled a cycle longer," Wheeljack insisted.

"Hold on a sec, Ratchet. Is there a chance _h_e can fix her back?" Will interjected. While they'd been waiting, the medic had told him how slim the chances were of Mikaela ever walking again.

"Yes, he may be able to," Ratchet conceded. "Wheeljack is one of our finest scientists."

"Thank you, Ratchet," Wheeljack said, graciously accepting the compliment.

"Well, get to it, then!" Will urged, cell phone in hand. "I'll call and have 'em cancel that ambulance; tell 'em everything's been taken care of."

"This will be interesting," Sunstreaker joked in an undertone.

_/Do not alarm the male human. He is very excitable/_ Mirage warned him.

_/I'll be sure to remember that/ _he answered, and suspected that that was a species trait.

"Oh, crap!" Will exclaimed right after making the call. "You'd better hide somewhere. The Air Force guys are liable to panic and shoot if they see you, even if I do tell 'em you're all here."

_..I knew it... _Sunstreaker thought, disgruntled with this world already.

"Arcee and I have witnessed hostile behavior from uniformed humans," Prowl mentioned.

"You did?" Will grimaced at the bad impression they got. "Damn.. Sorry about that."

"Lingering here would not be wise, then," Ultra Magnus stated. "We must relocate."

"How many pieces is Bumblebee in, Ratchet?" Hoist asked, all too familiar with Sixshot's preferred method of killing.

"One arm and both legs were torn off," Ratchet replied, optics closing briefly as he imagined the agony Bumblebee had suffered.

Hoist grimly nodded. "I'll reattach them, while you help Wheeljack with the human. Where is Bumblebee?"

"In a storage unit, not far away. It's this way," Ratchet said, transforming and opening the passenger door for Will. Wheeljack very carefully picked up the Mikaela Banes female and placed her inside the Hummer. "We were forced to bury Ironhide in a large hole in the ground, near what the humans call a rest area by Interstate Highway Seventy."

"Buried in the ground?!" Mirage grouched at the indignity of that as they all followed Ratchet to the storage building.

"Yes. There was no other way to safely conceal him." Ratchet directed them to the storage unit. Mirage and Hoist pulled out Bumblebee's body and placed him securely on the back of Ultra Magnus' alt form, a car carrier. The rest transformed as well and drove to the outskirts of town, regrouping in a small field Broadside chose to land in.

Will stood by Ratchet, watching Wheeljack carefully remove Mikaela from the Hummer. He set her down on the ground, then removed wires, cables, and various small devices from under his armor. What purpose those served, Will had no idea. Maggie, Mikaela and Sam knew a lot more about Cybertronian anatomy than he did.

Wheeljack glanced up at the sky. "Precipitation is imminent," he stated, annoyed by the inconvenience. "Broadside, I shall have to attempt the repairs on Mikaela Banes inside your aerial form."

"Maybe you can even give us a lift when he's done, Broadside?" Will suggested. "We'd catch up with Optimus alot faster that way."

"That would put you all at risk, if we were to encounter one of the Seekers," Broadside answered, moving back from the others before transforming back into shuttle mode.

"Yeah...Got a point there.." Will conceded, a little disappointed. Flying in a space shuttle would've been pretty awesome. _Guess we'll just have to keep driving the rest of the way. _He looked down at his watch. "I need a ride back into town. Gotta get more ammunition for our weapons." Will looked back up when no one volunteered right away. "Uh... Please?"

"Mirage, you take him back," Prowl ordered, noticing how reluctant everyone was to leave while Hoist was working on Bumblebee. Mirage was the logical choice; his ability to become invisible guaranteed that he would escape detection from the human soldiers.

"Yes, Sir," Mirage replied, trying not to sound put upon, and changed back to the race car alt form he'd chosen.

"Thanks, Mirage," Will said as he climbed in, careful not to jar his injured arm. For a brief second he thought about pointing out that race cars were illegal to drive in public, but it wasn't like an Autobot had to worry about getting arrested.

"You're welcome, and please don't touch the steering wheel."

"Ok, sure... You're the boss." _Guess he's really sensitive, _Will concluded, and kept his good arm in his lap.

Wheeljack moved his supplies to Broadside's cargo hold, then picked Mikaela Banes up again, just as the first drops of rain began falling. She came to when one landed on her left cheek, and stared up at him.

"Who...the hell...are you?" Mikaela asked in a thin voice; she'd never felt this damned weak in her life.

"My name is Wheeljack," he informed her.

"He's a fellow Autobot," added Ratchet.

"Yeah, I figured that...since he hasn't squished me..." she joked with a faint smile, which quickly disappeared. "Where's Bee?"

"Hoist, another Autobot, is repairing him." That was true enough. "Just as Wheeljack is going to try to repair your back, Mikaela," Ratchet added while administering a mild sedative to her, one that immediately put her under again. Whatever Wheeljack does, it was best that she be unconscious during it.

_Try? _Even more determined to succeed, Wheeljack carried the female human up the ramp to the cargo hold, with Ratchet right behind him. The rest of the Autobots stood quietly about, awaiting the outcome of Wheeljack's efforts.

"What earth vehicle did you scan, Arcee?" Sunstreaker asked after a couple of cycles passed.

"It's called a Corvette," she answered, puzzled; he rarely took an interest in anyone besides himself and his twin. "I was told that red is the best color for it."

"Ah." Sunstreaker exchanged glances with Sideswipe as he commented, "That color does make you look sleek."

"Arcee has always been sleek!" Prowl declared, and shut up when the twins chuckled, embarrassed that he'd let himself be bated so easily.

_Primus, will they ever stop pestering him? _"Thank you, Prowl," Arcee said, the corners of her mouth turning up in a smile.

Prowl hesitated, started to make an effort at smiling back, then nearly jumped along with everyone else when a hoarse scream was heard, coming from the female human.

They all spun around to stare at Broadside's still-lowered ramp.

"What the slag is he doing??" Sideswipe demanded, speaking for the entire group.

"Wheeljack is convinced that robotic implants are the best way to counter Mikaela's paralysis," Ratchet told them, sounding _very_ perturbed.

"Implants?" Hoist questioned, unsure of the wisdom of that solution. "That is what made her scream?"

"A human's nerves send electrical impulses to their brains. I merely miscalculated the voltage needed," Wheeljack answered defensively.

"You mean you just electrocuted Bumblebee's human!" accused Sunstreaker, rather disturbed himself by the sound Mikaela Banes had made.

"It was just one minor shock. Trial and error, Youngling!" was the scientist's retort.

_/--Maybe we should switch off our audio receptors until he's done/ _Sunstreaker sent to the others, half-jokingly.

"Don't be absurd; that will leave us vulnerable to a possible Decepticon attack," Prowl admonished him.

Sunstreaker almost rolled his optics at that. In his opinion, Grapple stood a better chance ith Arcee than the cold-sparked Second Lieutenant. He leaned back against a boulder, waiting for Mirage to return, and imagining all the damage he'd love to inflict on Sixshot.

* * *

"Let him be," a weary Soundwave finally ordered when Ratbat stubbornly kept trying to repair Laserbeak. It was a losing battle he was fighting. Nearly all of his left wing was gone, the vehicle's tire having shredded it. The left side of Laserbeak's body had been crushed as well, his self-repair system along with it. A few wires that were still intact was all that was holding his fractured spark casing together. Barely. Pieces had fallen off during their escape from the Autobots, and the spark itself was slowly flickering out. "He's dying; I doubt that even Hook could prevent it, if he were here."

Ratbat finally gave up, cheeping sadly and draping a wing over his friend's mangled body. At least Laserbeak was off-line, and couldn't feel a thing. "Human will _die_ for this!" he hissed savagely.

"Yes, he _will." _Soundwave perused the data he'd downloaded from the computers at the Groom Lake compound, and learned that the driver of that vehicle was a human named Reginald Simmons. An agent of Sector Seven, the same organization that was holding Frenzy captive. He passed along all the information he had on Simmons to Ratbat and Buzzsaw, just as someone opened a link to him. It was _him_. _/Sixshot.../_

_/Greetings, Soundwave/ _he replied in a far-too-smug voice. _/You sound angry. Ravage did tell you the good news after all, did he?/_

_/--what are you talking about? What 'good news'?/_Soundwave demanded.

_/Why, that Starscream has given your drone to me, as a reward for killing that Autobot, Bumblebee./_

_/**What??**/ _Soundwave snarled_. /He has no right!/_

/_No right? He __**is **__our leader now/ _Sixshot reminded him. /_I can't say I'm surprised Ravage did not tell you; he can be timid sometimes. But don't worry. I'll help him overcome that./_

_/You.../ _Soundwave stopped short when he felt Laserbeak's passing, and abruptly broke the link, cutting off any further taunting.

_He may have planned this from the moment I lent Ravage to him,_Soundwave realized, with a fresh surge of hate toward his enemy. There was a time when Sixshot had _some_small semblence of honor. Was he acting out of malice, or simple boredom. The war against these humans must not be much of a challenge to him.

"--you tell about the Autobots?" Buzzsaw tentatively asked, once it looked like Soundwave was finished with whichever Decepticon he'd been speaking with.

"No." If that miscreant Starscream was unaware that there were more Autobots on Earth now -- which was entirely possible, due to arrogance, or ineptitude -- Soundwave was not about to warn him. If only there was a way to undermine Starscream's authority, perhaps even see him overthrown as leader, and make Sixshot pay for tampering with Ravage.

Soundwave pulled his thoughts away from pointless speculation - Ravage was lost to him now, as surely as Rumble and Laserbeak -- and focused on the problem of recharging.

Those accursed humans had been trying to track him since Kearney, and likely knew his general location. He accessed a map of Missouri stored in his data bank. There was a very large forest a short distance away, which should provide a safe enough place for them to recharge for a cycle or two, and then continue on to Kentucky.

First, though, was the difficult task of dealing with Laserbeak's body. "Move aside, Ratbat," Soundwave ordered, readying his concussion blaster.

"...why?" Ratbat squeaked out, and didn't budge, despite being familiar with his ways. Soundwave often disposed of dead comrades during the war, in case any Autobots try to scavenge parts from them.

"You know we cannot leave anything that the humans might use to their advantage, as they did when they held Megatron prisoner," Soundwave patiently told him.

"Yes..." Slowly folding his wing back, Ratbat turned away from his dead friend and huddled together with Buzzsaw.

_You will be avenged, Laserbeak, _Soundwave vowed, taking careful aim with his concussion blaster and firing. Once Frenzy is freed and repaired, he intended to track down and destroy all of Sector Seven's bases, and kill every last one of it's Agents.

* * *

"Mikaela?"

"Uh...Wha-?" Mikaela raised one arm, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her palm.

"I _told_ you it would work, Ratchet!" said another voice, sounding vindicated about something.

"--Ratchet?" She started to drop her arm, then it hit her. _I can move...and feel!_she realized, elated. Taking a deep breath, Mikaela started to sit up, and was immediately helped by Ratchet. His holoform, that is. Actually, there were...two of them? "Something's wrong.."

"Are you in pain, Mikaela?" Ratchet anxiously asked, worried that the implants might be malfunctioning.

"No, just...achy, and I'm seeing double." She looked from one holo to the other.

"Oh, that." A smile briefly crossed the face of the Ratchet standing beside her. "Wheeljack borrowed the holoform image I use, but he will program one of his own soon. Won't you, Wheeljack?"

"If necessary, yes," the other Ratchet/Wheeljack agreed. "Achy, you say, Mikaela Banes?"

"Yeah. Like an elephant sat on me."

"That's understandable, considering what you've gone through," Ratchet commented. "How does your back feel?"

"Kinda tired, but okay." She looked back at Wheeljack. "Whatever you did, _thank you!"_

"You're welcome, Mikaela Banes. It was a moderately complicated procedure." He nodded to her, pleased. If only the Autobots he's repaired had been this grateful, instead of complaining incessantly. _/I told you she would not feel the implants./_ he sent to Ratchet.

_/Yes, yes./_

"Uh-huh..."_ Moderately complicated? Coming from someone like him, that means I probably wouldn't get even half of what he did if he tried to explain it,_ Mikaela guessed. Well, as long as it worked...

"I would feel more confidant with it's success if you had not shut down once, however," Wheeljack continued, speaking more to himself than her.

"Shut down?" she repeated, her eyes widening in shock as she looked from him to the real Ratchet. "As in, I died??"

"You did stop breathing for eight-point-six seconds, but that was easily remedied, Mikaela," Ratchet assured her.

"Geez..." She shook her head, still freaked out by the news, then pulled herself together. "I need to see Bee," Mikaela stated, swinging her legs over the side of the table she'd been laying on.

"Be careful, please. You're still recovering," Wheeljack cautioned Mikaela. "Try not to twist your upper body, at least for one cycle-- for one day, I mean."

"Where's Bumblebee?" Mikaela asked, trying to stay calm as she slowly slid off the table and stood, with Ratchet helping her again when she swayed a little. Something's happened; she could tell by the look on both of their faces.

"Mikaela, about Bumblebee..." Ratchet paused, debating how to best go about this, but there really was no way to soften the emotional blow for her. "I'm afraid he was killed by Sixshot."

Mikaela stared at him a moment, uncomprehending, then felt her knees buckle. Ratchet caught her when she fell against him, careful of her mended back. "_No!_ He _can't_be..." she sobbed, hands fisting in his shirt. "Sam said... Oh, _God_..."

"It is understandable that Sam would have been reluctant to tell you of Bumblebee's fate, considering the condition you were in," Wheeljack contributed.

"It will be all right, Mikaela," added Ratchet, running a scan as he held her up. Her sudden loss of motor function was due to shock, nothing more. Humans were so accustomed to death being irrevocable... "The All Spark pieces will restore Bumblebee. You must remember that."

"Y--you're right," she gulped, nodding against his shoulder. _Keep it together, Banes... You've gotta keep it together... _Mikaela told herself, forcing her legs to work again and let go of Ratchet. "The All Spark. We've got to get to that cave. Like, now."

"Optimus and the others continued on to Mammoth Cave," Ratchet informed her. "We're to meet them there."

"We'll be leaving as soon as you feel ready," added Wheeljack. "Try walking a few steps, please."

"Ok, sure." This time she didn't wobble as she walked back and forth in front of them. There was a slight twinge in her back, though, and she rubbed at it, carefully. And only then realized that she was topless.

"Does it hurt there?" Ratchet asked; he was certain he'd used enough salve on the bandage that covered the small incision.

"Just a muscle spasm... That table's not very comfy," Mikaela said, crossing her arms to cover her breasts. "Uhm.. Can I have my shirt back?"

"Yes, of course. I apologize for your discomfort," Ratchet said, fetching her sweatshirt. "I would have placed you on a cot, but Wheeljack was impatient to get started."

"An immediate remedy was essential," insisted Wheeljack, standing back while Ratchet helped her put the garment back on.

"Hey, it's all right, guys, really." Mikaela got the impression that those two argue alot. "Where am I, anyway?" she asked, looking around the 'room' she was in.

"You are inside of me," a voice said, coming from the wall to her right, it seemed. "Wheeljack carried you in when it began to rain. My designation is Broadside."

"Oh.." she said, once she got over her startlement. "Hi, Broadside."

"Hello, Mikaela Banes," he answered in a friendly tone.

"Broadside chose one of your space shuttles as his alternate form, and has been guarding us against a possible attack by...Starscream and his Seekers," Wheeljack explained. "We brought you inside when it began to rain."

"Wow.." _He must be huge! _she thought, then focused back on the previous topic. "We've got to get back on the road."

"Yes, you do." Broadside lowered a ramp to let them out.

The two holoforms flickered out, and Ratchet and Wheeljack transformed back to robotic mode. Mikaela followed them outside, where she was introduced to the other eight Autobots.

"It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Mikaela Banes." Arcee flashed a look at Sunstreaker, warning him not to be unpleasant to Banes. Surprisingly enough, he acknowledged it, and simply said 'Hello' to Banes.

"If there is anything you need from us, do not hesitate to ask," Ultra Magnus added, nodding courteously to the small female.

"Uh.. Thanks.." Mikaela mumbled, a little intimidated at being surrounded by Autobots. _Broadside really is disguised as a space shuttle! And_ _is that real gold on the one next to that big rock? Whoa... _Another stray thought occurred to her then: _Would they be this nice if I wasn't with Bumblebee? _She quickly shrugged off that silly idea. There was only one thing she wanted them to do for her. "I know Optimus wants to avoid a battle with the Decepticons...but I do have a big favor to ask of you all."

"What favor?" Sunstreaker asked, looking down at her curiously.

"Sixshot and Ravage," Mikaela replied, her eyes glittering with rage. "I want those two fuckers _**dead**_!"

* * *

"Why are we here, instead of China?" Skywarp asked Mixmaster. _And do you give everyone this much trouble?_

"I _told_ you I wanted to see this so-called 'Seventh Wonder of the World."

"Well, you've seen it," Skywarp grumbled. "Now let's destroy this 'Wonder' and move on."

Mixmaster contemplated the Taj Mahal for another astro-second, idly thinking of ways to improve it. "No...This structure is not completely offensive..." he grudgingly admitted.

"Oh, really?" In a fit of pique, Skywarp aimed and fired four missiles at the dome-shaped building, and watched it erupt into a ball of fire.

"Why did you--" Mixmaster started to demand, but Skywarp cut him off.

"_That _is for wasting my time! We're leaving. Now!" Aggravated, Skywarp changed back to jet form. He'll have to teleport to keep from being even more delayed in rejoining the others, and his energy levels were already low. _...idiotic Constructicon.._.

As soon as Mixmaster latched on, he teleported them both to a small hill in China, where the other Decepticons were waiting.

"Where have you two been?" Starscream coldly asked.

Skywarp immediately put the blame on his passenger. "Mixmaster demanded that I take him to India, just to gawk at some building."

"I merely wanted to--" Mixmaster began, in an attempt to defend himself.

"_Enough!_" Starscream snapped, his temper igniting, and for a brief instance he _hated _his new position as leader. Megatron never had to deal with so much blatant insubordination. Nor would he have tolerated it for one astro-second.

Very well.. If being more like _him_was what it will take to get them in line, and earn respect, then so be it, Starscream decided, calmer now. _The next time one of these slaggers defies me, I will make an example of him. _"You know the targets; now spread out through this city," he ordered them all.

/_Factories?/ _Thunderblast peevishly questioned, one of the last to leave the hill. _/How exciting.../_

_/There are several nuclear plants in this country. Have Thundercracker or Dirge take you to them, when they're finished/ _he instructed her.

_/I would rather __**you**__ did.../_

_/I'll consider it/ _Starscream coolly said, smiling to himself. Her interest, whether real or feigned, was a boost to his ego. He watched her stride down the hill and disappear into the city, then transformed and flew off to find his first target.

_He'll __**consider**__ it? _Thunderblast almost growled, irked by Starscream continually negating her attempts to get him alone. It was...frustrating, and she did _not_like that feeling. She looked around for someone to take it out on, namely Shortround, and spotted Thundercracker, partially hidden between two tall buildings. Strangely enough, he just stood there, watching the humans flee from him. A sliver of suspicion came to her, as she recalled his odd behavior in the Washington City. Was he actually sympathetic to these tiny things? Apparently so; he was making no attempt to kill any of them.

Hmm... That could be useful.

Thunderblast moved in closer, behind Thundercracker, looking for a human that suited her purposes. There was one. An older male, having fallen out of some sort of wheeled contraption. No one heeded his cries for help; too caught up in their own panic. She looked around before picking up the hapless human by one leg. Shockwave, as luck would have it, was just a few streets away, destroying a large factory.

"Such a pitiful specimen, isn't it?" she remarked to Thundercracker, who jerked his head toward her.

"Yes..." His optics fixed on the terrified man dangling from her fingers, Thundercracker stepped out from between the buildings. "Hardly worthy of _your_ attention. I'll take care of h--it," he offered, holding a hand out for the human.

"Shockwave! Come here, please," she called out to him, observing the way Thundercracker tensed up.

"What do you want, Thunderblast?" Shockwave asked, disregarding the cars that were underfoot as he walked over to her.

"I was wondering if we should spare this human. What is your opinion?" She tossed the helpless creature to Shockwave, keeping one optic on Thundercracker.

Thundercracker clenched his fists as the screaming male was caught, and none too gently, judging by the cracking noise he heard. What sort of despicable game was Thunderblast playing?

"Spare it?" Shockwave studied the writhing human for two astro-sconds. "It is insignificant," he decided, throwing it over his shoulder. "You know Starscream's orders, Thunderblast. Obey them."

"Yes, Sir," Thunderblast said compliantly, watching Thundercracker as Shockwave walked away He looked ready to fire on the military commander. She waited expectantly for the imminent fight.

Barely managing to contain his revulsion at such callous brutality, and not trusting himself to look at _her _without doing something he'd regret, Thundercracker stalked off.

_Almost... _Thunderblast thought, disappointed when he'd regained control of himself. But she did discover a weakness in the Seeker. Perhaps using a very young human next time will provoke him into attacking Shockwave, to try to save the creature. She considered telling Starscream of this, but, still annoyed by his evasiveness, chose to keep it to herself for now.

Her first target in this city was a factory that produces automobiles, and Thunderblast headed in it's direction.

* * *

"We're approaching the last rest area before Mammoth Cave. Jazz, would you please wake Sam and ask him if he would like to stop there?" Optimus requested.

"Okay, sure." A moment later the snoring stopped. "Sam said 'Hell, yes, before my bladder explodes'."

"_Hey!"_ Sam was heard protesting. "That's _not _what I said!"

"Okay, so I embellished a bit," Jazz admitted, "But you were thinkin' it, I could tell. And you're squirmin' in your seat."

"Thank you, Jazz, for that unnecessary information," Optimus dryly remarked, and chuckled to himself when Sam threatened to leak lubricant if Jazz made him laugh. That had his First Lieutenant imploring him for permission to 'step on it', which he granted. Jazz was quick to pass him and Simmons' vehicle, taking the lead. _Those two do enjoy teasing each other,_ he thought.

Optimus closed the link as their bantering continued, activated his holoform in the sleeper berth, and gently shook Maggie's shoulder. Not gently enough, though, it seemed. She bolted awake, gasping. _Oops._ "I did not mean to frighten you, Maggie."

"Ehh..not your fault..." she muttered, pushing her hair back out of her face. "--just a dream.

Same one as before, I think.."

"What were you dreaming?" he asked, curious about that particular quirk of organic beings.

Maggie hesitated, rubbing her forehead. Like most dreams, it'd faded away the moment she woke up. Typical of them. What she did remember creeped her out, and she shied away from it. "I'm not sure," she replied, shrugging dismissively. "Dreams are just a load of nonsense, anyway. anyway. You guys don't dream, do you?"

"No, we don't," Optimus confirmed, as he followed Jazz and Simmons into the parking section. "We've stopped at a rest area, in case you need to use it's facilities before we reach the cave."

"Yeah, I do, actually." She got up, stifled a groan, and dropped back down onto the bed. _Bloody hell..._

Optimus noticed her difficulty in standing. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing..I'm just really stiff," Maggie told him, slowly stretching out her legs. "I don't suppose the truck you scanned had a yoga mat, too?"

"No, it did not," he replied, after a brief research on the subject.

"Oh, well. Never mind." She got up again, sat down on the floor and did a few more light stretches to loosen up.

"Do you feel better now?" he asked once she was on her feet again.

"Much better. Thank you," Maggie tied her hair back, then hopped out when the door opened for her, making a bee-line for the restroom. When she came back out a couple minutes later, Sam was having an animated dispute with the snack vending machine. "Out of order?" she asked, walking over to him.

"Yeah. Some moron jammed it up," Sam grumbled, smacking the front of the machine.

"...damn vandals..." Simmons muttered, having the same problem with the soft drink machine, his cell phone to his ear again as he waited for an update on the Decepticons.

"Oh, great." There was one quick and easy answer to the problem. Optimus and Jazz were both in robot mode, as a precaution, and Jazz was closer. _Oh, why not? _"Could you help us out here, Jazz?" Maggie asked. "We're _starving."_

"Sure, no prob'."

"I don't think you--never mind," Simmons gave up when Jazz gave the pexiglass a small tap, breaking it. _What's a little petty theft, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance?_

"There's some trail mixes there," Sam said, pointing to them when Maggie took a Snickers.

"U-huh." She opened the wrapper and took a huge bite of the candy bar.

"Whoa.." Sam blinked, impressed. "Always thought you were really into health food."

"Mph.." Maggie chewed and swallowed the mouthful. "Not tonight."

"Good point." Sam snagged a second bag of chips. "Thanks, Jazz.

"Welcome," Jazz replied, and broke open the soda machine, too.

Maggie pocketed two more random candy bars, and took a bottle of purified water while Sam went for a Pepsi. "We'd better get back on the road now," she said, taking another bite of Snickers. _...mm...wonderful.._

"Definitely," Sam agreed, and almost laughed when Simmons gave in and also took snacks and a drink.

"Ok, let's roll out, then," Jazz said, changing back to the Aston Martin and popping open the door for Sam to get in. "--try not to get crumbs all over this time, Sam, _please_."

"That only happened once!" Sam protested, as the door closed.

Maggie shook her head at that, smiling, and climbed into the passenger seat. It was still a little weird to her, seeing the 'truck' drive itself. She pulled out the candy bars before they started to melt, and quietly ate the Dove one. A few miles later they were coming up the exit to the Mammoth Cave National Park.

Instead of turning off, though, Simmons drove right by it and kept going for about half an hour. He made a sharp turn and plowed through a wire fence, speeding across what looked like a wheat field, then onto a dirt path.

_They wouldn't have hidden the Cube pieces anywhere near the tourist sections, of course, _Maggie mused, gazing out the window at the snow-covered trees they passed. _Those are kind of pretty_.. She finished the water and the last candy bar, stuffing the empty wrappers in a pocket just as the SUV came to a stop between two small hills.

Simmons turned off the engine, jumped out and locked the doors. Flashlight in hand, he studied his map, muttering to himself. "...gotta be here...somewhere..."

_If he's gotten us lost... _Maggie thought, as she and Sam got out and the two Autobots transformed.

Reviewing his copy of the map, Optimus walked over to a stand of wildly overgrown blackberry bushes covering one side of the taller hill and scanned that spot. "There is an opening behind this vegetation, and appears to have been artificially made," he noted, activating the spotlight in his chest for them to see.

"That's it!" Simmons rushed over, and got a good look at the bushes. "Great.. This'll be fun to clear out."

Optimus glanced at him, then knelt down and grasped the thick vines with both hands, ripping them away.

"Okay..thanks.." Simmons said, a little taken aback. For some reason he hadn't thought the Autobot leader would've been willing to do something so menial as large-scale weeding. He opened the back of his SUV, grabbing a black duffel bag filled with supplies, and answering his cell phone when it buzzed. It was about damned time his contact returned his call.

"You're welcome, Agent Simmons," Optimus replied, removing the rest of the bush to reveal the cave entrance they'd been looking for. To his relief it was large enough for him to enter in his robotic form. Going inside in his truck mode was not an option he cared for. It would have left him vulnerable, and there was no telling what might be waiting for them on the other side. "Jazz, I want you to stay here, in case there are any unwelcome visitors."

"Sure, Optimus." His visor slid into place as he took up guard duty.

"Should I stay out here, too?" Sam asked. Now that they've finally reached the cave, he was suddenly extremely nervous. He really wanted to help, but...things didn't exactly turn out so great when he'd been given the original All Spark. Not that he was jinxed or anything, of course...

"If that is what you want, Sam, then yes," Optimus nodded, understanding his sudden reluctance. The boy's been through so much already...

"Any Decepticon shows up here, we'll say 'hi' to 'em for ya," Jazz proclaimed, shield coming out of his arm in emphasis.

"Damn straight!" Sam enthusiastically agreed, grateful to have something useful to do. Something that didn't involve Cubes that might vaporize him if he screwed up somehow.

"Well, you don't need to worry about Starscreech and his group right now. They're in Shanghai, China, attacking factories," Simmons informed them after putting his phone away.

"Starscream," Optimus corrected, then paused. "Factories?"

"Yeah. One of them just destroyed a Volkswagon plant," Simmons told him, puzzled. "Guess they don't like Beetles?"

"It's early afternoon over there. The factories'll be filled with people," Jazz growled.

_Bastards. _Maggie set the empty water bottle on a rock and slung her rocket launcher over her shoulder.

"What about Soundwave?" asked Sam.

"That one was last seen going into Pioneer Forest, in Missouri," Simmons reported. "Far as we know, he's still in there."

"He must've gone there to hide and recharge," Jazz suggested.

"Perhaps." His optics dimmed for a moment over this latest disaster in China, then Optimus quickly transformed. "We must hurry!" he urged them, and entered the cave first.

Simmons pulled two lanterns out of his bag and turned them on. "Here, use the green one. I've got plenty of extra batteries in my bag, if we need them." He handed Maggie one of the lanterns, zipped the bag closed, and followed Optimus Prime.

Maggie held it up, eyeing that dark entrance. ..._okay..you can do this... _She glanced back over her shoulder. "Be back soon, Jazz. Sam."

"Yep. See ya in a few, Maggsie,"Jazz said.

"Good luck," added Sam.

_Maggsie? _She rolled her eyes over the nickname, waved to the pair, and followed Simmons. The tunnel that Sector Seven must've carved out went on for a few yards, then she found herself in the cave itself, where Optimus and Simmons were waiting for her. "Wow.." Maggie breathed, looking all around as she walked over to them, and almost collided with a stalagmite. "_Agh!_"

"Keep it down, will ya?" Simmons griped. "And be careful."

"Well, excuse me! Maybe you sneak around in caves all the time, but I don't," she huffed.

"Stay calm, please," Optimus quietly requested, looking down at Maggie. "Would you prefer to wait outside with Sam and Jazz, Maggie?"

"No... I have to stay with you." She absently patted his foot as she looked around some more. This part of the cave system was _huge, _the ceiling tall enough for an Autobot twice Optimus' height to stand under. "Whatever happens, I'll see it through to the end."

"Very well." Optimus smiled briefly at Maggie, then frowned when she shivered. "You're cold. The temperature here is slightly low for human comfort," he said, after analyzing the cave's interior.

"Yeah, it's a bit chilly in here. I left my coat with Mikaela," Maggie recalled. _Hope she's doing alright._"So what--" She stopped short when Optimus scooped her up in one hand. "--now?"

He set her down on his left shoulder and turned to Agent Simmons. "Where are the All Spark fragments?"

_Well...this is nice, _she had to admit, relaxing atop the warm armor, and decided not to complain. He was just being considerate, after all. In that commanding, assertive way of his.

"According to the map, we need to go that way." Simmons pointed to his left. "The exact location should be marked with the Sector Seven insignia."

Optimus strode off in that direction, running a deep scan of their surroundings along the way. Some of the stalagmites and stalacites had been removed -- by Sector Seven, he presumed -- creating a wide path that he followed.

After nearly a mile of searching the cave suddenly narrowed to fifteen feet across. Optimus took three more steps, then halted, placing one hand against the wall to his right. "These rocks were placed here as camouflage; they conceal a five-inch thick layer of concrete."

"This must be the spot, then." Simmons looked closely at the rocks. "And here's the Sector Seven symbol!"

"I don't suppose you have a couple pick-axes in your bag?" Maggie asked Simmons, and flinched when Optimus suddenly slammed his fist through the wall. _Good Lord, he is in a hurry!_ Her grip tightened on her lantern, and the edge of Optimus' armor plating. "Doesn't that hurt?!"

"It is..manageable," he answered, ignoring the jolt to his pain receptors and focusing entirely on the barrier between himself and the All Spark remnants. A large chunk of concrete broke off as he withdrew his hand.

"Okay..." She hid her face against the side of Optimus' neck, just in case small pieces went flying up at her, while he ripped away more of the wall, making the hole large enough for him to get through. A solid kick cleared the way for Simmons, too.

Maggie lifted her head when he stepped through the hole to the other side, and looked around the enormous cavern they were in. "...oh, shit..."


	15. Chapter 15

Warning: Contains violence, character deaths

* * *

"Frenzy here??" Ratbat asked as he and Buzzsaw were let out by Soundwave, recharged and eager to find their last remaining friend.

"His signal originated from this general vicinity; he must be nearby," Soundwave answered, analyzing their surroundings. A stream flowed through a group of trees, and there were patches of melting snow in the shady areas. Where might Frenzy have been hidden? "I want you two to search this area. Frenzy must be nearby; within five miles, I estimate. Report back immediately if you find him, or anything unusual."

"We find Frenzy!" Buzzsaw declared, and flew off nothward, while Ratbat went south.

Soundwave increased the range of his sensors to cover a one mile radius, but all that could be detected was native wildlife and a breeze rustling leaves. He remained where he stood, unmoving, and waited. After a little over one breem passed, Ratbat contacted him.

_/Found a hole. Leads to big cave./ _Ratbat told him.

/_Give me and Buzzsaw your coordinates/ _Soundwave instructed. There was a large cave system here, but according to the information he'd obtained, no openings to it in this area. None on any existing maps, that is. The humans had obviously gone through much effort to keep it secret. That must be where they are keeping Frenzy prisoner. He set off in Ratbat's direction.

The path gradually inclinded before him, and his sensors picked up a trio of surveillance devices hidden in trees a short distance ahead. A small electrical pulse was all that was needed to disable them. Soundwave continued on past it, and soon found himself facing a pitch-black shaft. "Ratbat," he called.

Ratbat swooped down and landed on his right shoulder. "Cave down there."

Soundwave studied the opening, which was only about seven feet tall. "It is small. Far too small to walk through."

"Other side bigger," Ratbat chittered. "You go in, then stand."

"Hm." Entering on his hands and knees would be undignified, but that was a small price to pay if Frenzy was indeed inside there somewhere. "Buzzsaw, you and Ratbat go first and scout out this cave. If there are any humans inside, kill them."

"Kill humans! Yes!" Buzzsaw darted into the shaft, followed by Ratbat.

/_No humans here/ _they both reported a cycle later.

/_That is unfortunate/ _Soundwave remarked, as he literally crawled through the shaft. Shoving a large stone out of his way, he slid the rest of the way into the cave. It was large enough for him to stand in, as Ratbat has said.

It was also as silent as a pit. There was no sign that Frenzy had been in this part of the cave. What he did find, though, was a mass of small gray creatures, hanging motionless from the ceiling. They did not appear to be alive, and he might not have noticed them at all, if it was not for the proof of their existence scattered about the ground.

_"Disgusting," _Soundwave growled to himself, and aimed a strong, high-frequency pulse at the things. They fell from their perches, hitting the ground with a plop sound, then took to the air to escape the second pulse he sent out, flying erratically and squeaking in fear and pain. Soon they were gone out of his visual range. _Good._

"Find Frenzy. I sense that he is not far from here," Soundwave said, sending Ratbat and Buzzsaw off in opposite directions again, to locate him. Being fliers, they could travel much faster than he could in robotic form. If it weren't for the stalagmites, he would have changed to car mode. He also gave them the same orders regarding any humans they might encounter.

"We will find Frenzy!" Buzzsaw declared, and both he and Ratbat disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

"Ugh..." Maggie coughed a little at the stale air. It didn't seem to bother Simmons much, though. She did_ not _want to speculate on what other kinds of environments he's mucked about in.

Optimus slowly turned, the bright light shining from his chest illuminating the cavern, and it's contents, for her and Simmons. The entire floor had been cleared of all stalagmites, and covered over with concrete. The Cube pieces -- if they can really be called pieces now -- were spread out through the huge cavern, with well over a dozen feet of space separating them from each other.

"--just how many are there?" she asked, staring around at all of them.

"Twenty-five," Optimus answered in a tone void of emotion, His scan picked up various levels of energy in the Cubes. Not a single one had been drained.

She shook her head in disbelief. "...good Lord...they didn't know when to quit, did they??"

"Apparently not." He flicked a glance at Simmons; the man look uncomfortable.

_Uh-oh... _she thought, noticing how odd Optimus sounded and leaned forward a little to peek at his face. His expression matched his voice, but she could tell he was _very_ upset.

Maggie laid a hand against his cheek. "--this is a good thing, considering..."

Optimus blinked and turned his head toward her. "Yes, of course," he agreed, struggling to banish the surge of anger he felt at Sector Seven's actions. What was done is in the past, and beyond his control. The present, and the future of Cybertron, are what matter now, he reminded himself.

"Could you put me down now?" Maggie hesitantly asked.

"Of course, Maggie." Optimus held a hand up for her to climb onto and set her down on the ground.

"Thanks." She looked around the cave again, getting a better perspective of the two pieces closest to her. One was the size of a steamer trunk, while the other was about as big as the bathroom of her old apartment, which had been pretty spacious. "How did they get them all the way here from Hoover Dam?" Maggie wondered aloud.

"Probably by train, removed the tracks when they were done," Simmons guessed, searching for a light switch. With all the effort put into making this one big storage room, there had to be some kind of lighting system. "The old man's journal said they're not as heavy as they look."

"So they're, like, hollow inside?"

"Maybe.. I'm sure the hell not gonna try to find out." _Aha. _He found the switch in the wall and flipped it.

"Whoa.." Maggie blinked against the sudden brightness and looked up at the ceiling. It had been cleared of stalactites and coated with cement, just like the floor. So were the walls, in fact. _Must've taken weeks to prepare this place_. There were even some metal rafters criss-crossing the ceiling, with several large lightbulbs hanging from them by thick cables. Well, that other Sector Seven guy had said that concrete was used to hide the first All Spark's energy at Hoover Dam.

"Surprised those still work.." Simmons commented on the lights.

"Things were sure made to last back then," Maggie said, impressed by their durability. These days so much stuff was mass-produced, and were liable to break down if looked at the wrong way.

Since it wasn't needed now, Optimus deactivated the light he'd been using. Maggie and Simmons followed his example, turning off their lamps and setting them down.

"Yup." Simmons looked about the cave."Well, these ought to solve our Decepticon problem."

"Yeah, but how are we going to get all of them out of here, fast?" she asked, fretful. The four near the other end of the cavern were even bigger than the bathroom-sized one! Maggie looked up at Optimus. "More importantly, how are you going to get them to Cybertron?"

"There must be a way," Optimus murmured, contemplating the dilemma. Broadside could perhaps carry one of the largest ones, but the rest.. It would require several trips to Cybertron, which would be very dangerous. _What to do... _

/_Yo, Optimus!/ _

_/Jazz?/ _he blinked at the unexpected contact. _/What is it?/_

/_Just got a call from Will. I told him 'bout Starscream's Decepticons being in China, so Broadside's gonna fly everyone over here. They should be here in about twenty minutes or so./_

_/That is very good news/ _Optimus said, pleased.

_/Oh, there's more. Wheeljack fixed Mikaela's back! She's walkin' again!/ _Jazz happily announced.

_/Excellent!/ _Optimus exclaimed, relief surging through his processors _/I shall have to thank him when they arrive./_

_/Yeah, me, too. How's it goin' in there? Are there bits of the Cube?/_

_/Yes. There are twenty-five of them, and all are viable. Many are quite large, however, and bringing them outside to you will be time-consuming./_

_/__**Thank you, Primus**_!_ You'll figure somethin' out, or we can all just sit tight 'til the others get here/_ Jazz confidently answered. /_I'll let ya know the second they show up./_

_/Thank you, Jazz./_

_/You're welcome, Sir/ _he said, and closed the link.

"Kinda weird, how they all turned out square-shaped," Simmons was saying when Optimus turned his attention back to them.

Maggie nodded. "They're more like...Mini-Cubes themselves, than chunks of one."

"Yes...they do seem to be," Optimus said thoughtfully, approaching one of the largest of the 'Mini-Cubes' and stopping before it. Small currents of blue energy flashed, leaping from the Cube to his still-dented hands.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Maggie hurried over to him, followed more slowly by Simmons.

"I am well, Maggie. It healed me," he replied, examining his hands for a moment, then placed them on the small Cube.

Maggie and Simmons watched, fascinated, as blue energy flashed again, shimmering across the Cube's entire surface this time. Then it began collapsing in on itself, shrinking to a _much _smaller size. It looked more like a dice now. Optimus plucked it up from the ground, gently holding it between forefinger and thumb.

"Huh. Just like the first one," Simmons remarked, wide-eyed.

"Yes, it is." Optimus looked at the All Spark for a few seconds longer before giving it to Maggie, and moved on to the next Cube.

* * *

_--what is the insect saying? _Frenzy pulled himself further out of stasis, and found himself unable to move his arms and legs. The filthy humans had done something to his motor functions. Their leader was speaking into that communications device again, and sounded agitated, so he concentrated on listening to it.

"I have no idea. As far as I know, there's nothing in there. Section B hasn't been used in ages; a big cave-in made it hazardous." There was a short pause. "Yes. I'm going there personally to find out why Simmons brought them here, and what they're looking for."

This Simmons, and whoever it was with, made this one very nervous. Frenzy closed his optics, feigning still being offline, when the human turned toward him. The ploy worked. The human walked past his prison, and was now talking to someone else.

"This is Banacek. I need an answer now." A short pause followed. "_Thank you_. We'll have him ready to be shipped by six in the morning, our time." It put the device away and turned to it's underlings. "Get NBE-3 ready. In five hours it's being sent to Tiksi, Russia. I'm going to find out what Simmons is after," it said, turning and walking away.

_Russia? Where is Russia? _Frenzy wondered, panic slowly starting to overcome him. It must be somewhere far from here. Swindle was trying to find him, he was sure of it! He can't be sent away! --but there was absolutely nothing he could do to prevent that. He let out a barely audible whine of helpless frustration, and was answered by a harsh, thin shriek that came from above. Frenzy lifted his head up, that sound giving him a spurt of renewed hope.

"What was that?!" Banacek turned back around, just as a shuriken spun through the air and sank deep into his throat.

A small gurgling sound, which greatly amused Frenzy, emerged when the human opened it's mouth before collapsing. The two humans closest to him also fell, shurikens sticking out from their chests.

"_Yes, yes, yes!" _he chortled gleefully, watching as his two friends dived down from the ceiling to attack the other humans; claws, fangs and beak tearing flesh as they aimed for faces and necks. If only he was able to join them in killing the insects!

The massacre was over in about one breem -- far too quickly for Frenzy's enjoyment -- with most of the humans lying face-down in pools of blood.

"Rampage!" Frenzy shrilled as his friend landed atop his prison.

"Rampage?" Ratbat cocked his head, perplexed. "Rampage not here."

"Y-you not R-Rampage?" Frenzy stuttered, elation turning to confusion. His friend's designation was Rampage. He was sure of it. --or was it? He looked at his other friend. "Brawn?"

Buzzsaw puffed up, offended by that. "Not an Autobot!!"

"Must repair Frenzy, before He comes!" Ratbat announced, having given Soundwave their coordinates the moment he'd located Frenzy. "He be here soon."

"Swindle coming?" The pitying looks he received from his friends frustrated him. "Break wall!"

"Yes. We break!" Buzzsaw enthusiastically agreed. They both attacked one side of his prison, their claws easily cutting through the glass-like material.

"Come out?" Ratbat asked when Frenzy just laid there.

"Can't move.. Humans did something."

"Humans!" snarled Ratbat. He and Buzzsaw pulled Frenzy out of the cage and set him on the floor. Then he transformed back to robot mode and immediately started repairing what he could of the damage to Frenzy's systems.

"Hurry, hurry!" Frenzy demanded, remembering from the conversation he'd overheard that there were more insects to kill.

"..am.." Ratbat growled, reconnecting wires, while Buzzsaw made sure all of the downed humans were dead. Soon enough all of Frenzy's motor functions were back online. "Can move now."

Frenzy jumped up, testing his limbs. "Good, good." His diminished energy level was slowing him down, but recharging will have to wait. Frenzy scrambled down from the table and over to the pair of dead humans, retrieving the shurikens from their bodies. His gaze fell on three wooden crates stacked by the wall, but he didn't bother investigating those. He just _knew_ what was inside them. _Swindle will help Blackout, _Frenzy reassured himself.

"He must go to Him now," Ratbat told him, jabbing a claw-like finger to their right. "Soundwave that way.

"Must kill humans!" Frenzy declared, and took off in the other direction, where the Banacek insect had started to go before it died. "More humans here. Section B."

"Wrong way!" Buzzsaw called after Frenzy. who moved quickly through the giant tunnel. "...wrong way..."

"...stubborn glitch..." Ratbat opened a private link to Soundwave, who wasn't far from their location now, and told him where Frenzy was going.

* * *

Optimus had just handed Maggie the second dice-sized Cube when it happened. There was a faint sound of wings flapping, then over two dozen bats darted into the cavern.

Maggie yelped in surprised, dropping both Cubes as she flung herself to the ground.

"--what the hell!" Simmons jumped back a foot, then stood completely still as the bats flew wildly about.

"Stay calm," Optimus told them, emitting a low, barely audible tone that repelled the small mammals.

Maggie looked up as those things -- flying rats, as far as she was concerned - flew back out. "Are they in my hair??" she frantically asked, rising to her knees.

"No, they're not," Optimus assured Maggie, running a quick scan on her before going over to the hole.

"Okay.." She frowned at Simmons. "Why aren't they asleep?!"

Simmons threw up his hands. "How the hell should I know? I'm not a zoologist!"

"Something disrupted their hibernation," Optimus stated, looking through the hole in both directions. Feeling uneasy, he walked back over to her and Simmons. "We must hurry."

_Dammit, this is no time to freak out, _Maggie told herself, embarrassed, as she picked up the Cubes, one in each hand, and almost dropped them a second time when that blue energy flashed again. It didn't hurt or anything, but was still startling. 'Spark' sure was a fitting name for it. "What was that for?"

"I don't know." Optimus looked thoughtfully down at the Cubes in her hands.

Holding them carefully, she got to her feet. "Do you think they, like, want something?"

"Maybe they're just saying 'Hi'?" Simmons shrugged at the looks they gave him. "Hey, anything's possible, in case you haven't notice."

"Hm." Optimus turned back to Maggie, an idea forming. "Hold the Cubes against each other, please."

"Alright.." She held her breath and pressed them together. The flash came again, brighter this time, as they merged, combining to form a single, larger Cube. Maggie let her breath out in a gasp. "Ohh..."

"Whoa.." Simmons stared, dumfounded. "Did you know they could do that?"

Optimus blinked once at the man. "How could I have?"

"Ok..you're right..dumb question." he mumbled, avoiding the Autobot's stare.

Rolling her eyes, Maggie followed Optimus as he went around to the other Cubes, occasionally leaning against his foot to warm up when she got chilly. Like the first two, the rest of them condensed for him and melded with the one she had.

"Hold on a minute," Simmons spoke up when there were three left. "There any chance you can leave one of these things here?"

They both turned toward him, Maggie using both hands now to hold the All Spark. "_**No!**_" Optimus rumbled, optics flashing with annoyance.

"Could you _try_ to comprehend that the All Spark is like the Holy Grail to them?" Maggie asked, glaring at him. Were all Sector Seven guys this bloody acquisitive?

"Ok, ok... No need to bite my head off." Simmons backed up a couple steps, hands in the air. "I was just asking."

Optimus made a 'hmph' sound, and turned back to the remaining Cubes, which were soon melded with the one Maggie held.

"It is--functional?" she asked, giving the All Spark back when Optimus asked for it.

"_Yes_," he stated, a smile forming as he gazed the Cube in his palm. It possessed a great deal of power, he could sense. Perhaps as much power as the first All Spark, but highly concentrated, due to it's smaller size; less than one-fourth that of the original. He sent a quick message to Jazz, informing him of this new, and unexpected, development.

"Ok, good.. Now let's get outta here," Simmons urged, turning his lamp back on and turning off the ceiling lights.. "This place feels like a tomb."

Optimus nodded, reactivating the search light in his chest, then knelt in front of Maggie. "Will you carry the All Spark, please?"

"Uhm.. All right." Maggie hesitated a second before taking the Cube, tucking the Cube under her arm and grabbing her lamp. Optimus stood up, his face guard sliding into place as he drew his ion blaster. "Do you think we were followed here?" she asked, worried that Sector Seven might've somehow found out what Simmons was up to. Or, even worse, the Decepticons.

"There are many entrances into this cave system," he warily stated, and looked through the hole again. His sensors detected no sign of movement, however.

Maggie and Simmons waited for him to tell them it was safe, then followed him out into the narrow passageway.

* * *

"--maybe should we go in and help them?" Sam asked, nervously tapping one foot.

"Nah. Optimus'll call if he need our help. 'sides, they should be out soon," Jazz answered, then added when Sam continued fidgeting, "Wanna get out and stretch your legs?"

"Yeah, sure." Sam climbed out when the door opened for him, and paced back and forth in front of the Aston.

Jazz was about to remark on that, when his sensors picked up something big in the sky, approaching from the West. "There they are!" he announced excitedly, alerting Optimus as he transformed, turning on the headlights in his arms so Sam could see.

Sam spun around toward the cave entrance. "Where?!"

"Sorry.. I meant Ratchet and the other Autobots," Jazz amended with a sheepish grin, then pointed. "See? That's Broadside."

Sam looked up at the sky, his eyes quickly drawn to a group of lights coming their way. _Wow... _He gawked as the space shuttle flew low over them. Broadside disappeared behind the smaller hill, then there was the sound of trees being toppled. "Jesus! Did he just crash??" Sam asked, alarmed. Autobots don't crash! ...unless they've been damaged.

"I'll go check it out." Worried, Jazz was about to head off to help, when they both heard a few snatches of Cybertronian, spoken rather loudly, coming from Broadside's direction. He chuckled.

"Was that Broadside? What'd he say? Is everyone ok?"

"Yup, it was, and they're all fine." Jazz smirked as he added, "Let's just say Broadside _really _doesn't like flyin'."

"Oh.. Picked a bad alt mode, huh?" Sam smiled, seeing the humor in the situation. A second later the sound of engines was heard. _The Autobots must've changed, to get here fast,_ he concluded The first one to come into view was a black and white police car, which stopped a short distance from them and transformed.

And the first thing that popped into Sam's head was '_Barricade!'. "Oh, shit!" _He jerked his grenade launcher up, finger squeezing the trigger, the same time Jazz shouted at him to stop.

"Prowl!" Arcee threw herself into him to knock him out of harm's way.

Mirage promptly camouflaged himself, while Sunstreaker pointed his cannon at the small human that was threatening them.

"Thank you," Prowl said to Arcee, then felt a sudden urge to shoot himself. Arcee was lying half across him, chest plates pressing against his, which had his spark pulsing faster, and 'thank you' was all he could produce? --and why did the human boy attack?

"You're welcome." Arcee quickly moved off and helped him to his feet. The last thing Prowl needed was for the twins to notice and tease him mercilessly yet again, and she wanted to spare him that ordeal.

"Chill, guys!" Jazz raised the volume of his vocals as he moved protectively in front of Sam. "Everyone settle down! You, too, Sunstreaker! Sam, gimme that thing!"

_...what the hell did I just do? _Feeling like a jackass now, Sam gladly handed his gun over to Jazz. "Christ, I'm really sorry! _Agh_!" he hollered when a large, invisible hand snatched him up.

Jazz spun around. "Mirage! Let 'im go!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Ultra Magnus demanded as he joined the group, giving Sunstreaker and Mirage stern frowns for threatening the Earthling.

"That human tried to kill Prowl!" Sideswipe informed him.

"Yeah," Sunstreaker growled, his cannon lowered, but still charged and ready to use.

"Sam?!" Mikaela ran out from between Ratchet's feet, over to him. "Put him down, Mirage. Please?"

"Very well, since he is unarmed now," Mirage allowed, becoming visible again, and set the human back down, who stumbled a little before regaining his balance.

"Thanks." She smiled gratefully at him, then turned to Sam. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm an idiot," he answered, wishing the ground would just swallow him up right about now.

"Well, this meeting's sure started out great," Jazz caustically remarked.

"I am _really _sorry about that," Sam continued, looking at the Autobot's feet instead of his face. "..didn't mean to shoot at you."

"Why did you, then?" Prowl asked, arms crossed as he waited for a logical explanation.

"I..uh..I thought you were Barricade. Just for a second!"

"Barricade was disguised as a cop car, when he attacked Sam," Mikaela helpfully added.

"That slagger always did have a twisted sense of humor," Sunstreaker grumbled, finally powering down his cannon and retracting it.

Now that that dilemma was resolved, Ratchet stepped forward. "Maggie and Optimus are still in the cave?"

"Yup. So's Simmons. They'll be out real soon, with the Cube" Jazz assured him, and told everyone what Optimus had told him about the All Spark pieces.

"Excellent," Ratchet said, a wide smile on his face.

"..thank God..." whispered Mikaela.

"Mikaela, I--I'm sorry I lied, about Bumblebee. I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't thinking at all!" Sam said in a rush.

"Sam... For a moment there, I did want to strangle you." Mikaela paused and shook her head. It was Sixshot and Ravage that she really wanted to kill, preferably in a way that eaves them in a million pieces. "I understand why you did it, though, so let's just forget it, okay?"

"Yeah...ok..." Sam agreed, but still felt guilty about it -- and will probably keep feeling guilty until they get Bumblebee back.

"Hey, 'kaela. It's good ta see you walkin'."

"Hi, Jazz. Been behaving yourself?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the silver Autobot.

He flashed a grin at her. "Have you ever known me not to?"

"All the time!" Mikaela chuckled, then hooked her arm through Sam's and began introducing him to the newbies, starting with the one standing a few feet to Jazz's right.

"You're a girl?!" Sam blurted out.

Arcee peered down at him. "Excuse me?"

"He means female," Mikaela came to Sam's rescue when he stammered. "Arcee's what the Autobots call a femme, Sam. She looks kinda like a female, but she's not, really. Not by our standards, anyway."

Sam nodded. _Well, duh. Robots, stupid, _he told himself. _I've __**got**__ to stop embarrassing myself in front of them! _

"Arcee's really good at hunting," Mikaela added.

"Yeah?"

"I am one of the fastest," Arcee said matter-of-factly. "The war put an end to all hunting on Cybertron. I then received battle training from Ironhide."

"Are there other femmes?" Sam asked, curious.

"--not anymore," she quietly answered, her optics flickering briefly.

_Damn Decepticons! _Sam thought, as Mikaela gave her knee a small, sympathetic pat. "Well.. Welcome to Earth, Arcee."

"Thank you, Sam Witwicky." Arcee nodded, smiled at the boy, then turned to ask Jazz a question.

"And over here is Ultra Magnus," Mikaela said, hauling Sam over to him. "He was the commander of a big city on Cybertron. Ultra Magnus, this is Sam."

Sam stared up at the fierce-looking Autobot. "..hi there."

"Hello, Samuel Witwicky," Ultra Magnus greeted, nodding respectfully to the human.

"Ultra Magnus is one of their greatest warriors," Will enthusiastically said.

He smiled fleetingly at that; the human soldier had shown great interest in trading 'war stories' with him during the journey here. "Thank you, Major William Lennox."

"And right over here are the twins, Sam," Mikaela continued, after giving Will a small wink, and pointed to them. "Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker."

"Twins?" Sam repeated. "Autobot twins? How does that happen?"

"The All Spark created us at the same time," explained Sideswipe.

"At the exact same astro-second. It was a very rare occurrence," Sunstreaker added loftily.

Mikaela leaned in close to Sam's ear and whispered. "Sunstreaker's got a chip on his shoulder the size of Mt. Everest."

"Uh-huh... It that real--" Sam began.

"Gold?" Mikaela finished. "Yeah. He copied a gold-plated Lamborghini he found while surfing the Internet."

"After declaring that all the other vehicles were disgustingly plain," Sideswipe remarked, in a tone of extreme suffering.

"They were plain!" Sunstreaker insisted, puffing up. "I refuse to scan anything that looks like common scrap metal!"

"See what I mean?" Mikaela whispered again, leading Sam away from the bickering twins. "Just don't ask to touch his gold plating, or he'll throw a fit. He did let me, but then Wheeljack told him about how our fingertips secrete an oil called sebrem. That didn't go over well with Sunstreaker."

"I'll bet." Sam chuckled. "Which one's Wheeljack?"

"Here." She stopped by the Autobot standing with Ratchet and Jazz. "Sam, this is Wheeljack. He's a scientist, and I'm his latest guinea pig," Mikaela said jokingly.

"Mikaela! I'm certain Wheeljack doesn't regard you as some sort of experimental subject," Ratchet protested, while Jazz grinned at her.

"But she is." Wheeljack tilted his head, curious at the fuss the medic was making. "I've never repaired a human before. Mikaela Banes is a near flawless specimen," he offered as an appeasement.

"Gee, thanks, Jack." She rolled her eyes, then hugged his foot.

He blinked down at her, surprised by the display of affection. "You're welcome, Banes."

"How'd you do it, anyway?" Sam asked, smiling at them.

"I inserted four very small, electronically-powered and computerized devices, encircling them around the fracture in Mikaela's spinal chord, and the damaged nerves."

They both gave him a blank look. "--could you repeat that?" Mikaela asked.

"Wheeljack created robotic implants to reverse your paralysis," Ratchet explained in simpler terms, deciding not to mention the accidental electrocution, since Mikaela did not remember it.

"Wow.." _He can help __**so **__many people with his invention, _Mikaela thought, directing Sam over to Prowl next, who he apologized to again.

"Your fear is understandable, Sam Witwicky" Prowl acknowledged. "I shall copy a different vehicle."

"Are you sure? I mean, if it's not too much trouble..."

"Scanning a new design is not difficult. Perhaps a red-colored vehicle..."

"I think red's a perfect choice," Mikaela said, with a sly grin that made Prowl shuffle his feet self-consciously.

_O-ho... So he's hung up on someone? Arcee's red, but so's Sideswipe. Could be someone else, though... I'll have to ask Mikaela about that, soon as we're alone, _Sam thought, as he was introduced to more Autobots.

Mikaela turned as the last two Autobots reached the meeting place. "Sam... Say hi to Broadside -- he's the really big guy -- and Hoist," she said, her eyes immediately drawn to Bumblebee's body as Broadside carefully set him down on the ground.

Sam noticed her change in mood, and moved away to give her some privacy.

"..oh, _Bee_..." Mikaela whispered, hugging his head tightly. "You're gonna be okay..."

After a long moment she sat down, her back against Bee's arm. Will was listening intently to his new idol, Ultra Magnus, as he spoke with Jazz. Sam talked to Hoist and Grapple, and the twins. Sunstreaker didn't seem too thrilled with the attention, which brought an amused smile to her face. That one _really_ needs to lighten up.

Prowl was standing by Broadside, glancing occasionally at Arcee, who was talking with Wheeljack and Ratchet. _Hm._ _A little intervention might be called for there_, Mikaela thought, and planned to recruit Sam for it. She shifted around to face the cave entrance, looking hard for any sign of Optimus emerging with the All Spark.

* * *

"Wait here," Optimus ordered, turning off his spotlight as they neared the first of three curves.

"You're the Boss," Simmons remarked, putting his bag down.

_Got that right. _Maggie watched the stately Autobot disappear around a huge stalagmite. He was, without a doubt, one of the All Spark's greatest creations.

"That thing been flashing again?"

"Hm?" She glanced over at Simmons. "Oh. No. I don't think it has any reason to now."

"Okay, good," he said, relieved. That light show had been a little unnerving. Fortunately the lamp didn't have computer chips or anything, and was safe from being changed by the Cube. And he wasn't letting it get anywhere near his cell phone, that's for sure.

"Mhm." Maggie jerked her head up when something scraped against a stalactite. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah. More bats, probably," Simmons looked nervously up at the ceiling, relaxing when a squeaking noise was heard, accompanied by the flapping of wings. "Yup. Just bats."

"..better stay up there," Maggie muttered, raising her lamp a little higher.

"Damn right. I'll see if the coast is clear." Simmons went over to that big stalagmite. "Hey! Is it safe?" he said in a loud whisper.

"Yes, it is safe." Optimus' distant reply echoed back to them. "Come quickly, please."

Relieved, Maggie started after Simmons as he rounded the stalagmite, but stopped short when she heard that scratching noise again. It was closer now, and sounded almost..metallic? "No, wait. There it is again," she said, and frowned. This felt strangely familiar to her.

"Forget about the bats and come on!" Simmons called back to her. "He's in a hurry!"

"I know! I'm coming!" Shaking off the weird sense of déjà vu, Maggie took two steps, then heard something else, a faint whirring sound this time. At about the same time, her lamp shattered, plunging the cave into darkness. "No!" she gasped, and froze when something answered her.

"Yes, yes, yes!" the voice shrilled, in English, coming from somewhere among the stalactites above her.

A cold chill swept through her as she looked up and spotted two pairs of small blue optics, set close together, glaring directly back at her. Two pairs? It was that small, nasty one from Hoover Dam, Frenzy! But...wasn't he dead?? He said something else, in his own language this time, and two other voices replied to it.

Maggie spun around, quickly locating them by their red optics. Soundwave's other drones. They were arranged in a triangle formation, surrounding her, optics fixed on her every movement. _Just waiting for me to try to run, or try to yell for help, _she realized with growing horror. Help that couldn't possible come in time, even if she did manage to get more than a single note out before they--

Frenzy laughed at her then, a low, mocking cackle, like he knew what was going through her mind. "_Maggot!"_he hissed, using English again. The other two Decepticons repeated the taunt.

"Maggot!"

"_Maggot!_"

Her heart pounding, she struggled to think past the sick, hopeless feeling that threatened to overwhelm her. _The All Spark! _They must not know she was carrying it -- it was pretty well hidden, pressed against her right side with her arm wrapped around it -- or else they'd have killed her already, instead of toying with her. Soundwave must have sent them to scout out the cave, and was bound to show up himself any minute. She _had_ to figure out a way to keep them from finding out about it. Now.

There were three drones, and only two grenades left in her launcher. Useless, since there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell of hitting any of them. It was obvious that they could see her clearly in the dark. But maybe, just maybe, she could distract them with those grenades. Just long enough to ditch the Cube among the stalagmites; a few seconds was all she needed. It would also bring Optimus back here fast, with reinforcements right behind him, to drive away these horrid drones and save the All Spark.

Letting the broken lamp fall, Maggie clutched the Cube tighter and dropped to one knee, keeping her eyes on the trio in case one of them moves, or they decide to attack. If she aimed between Frenzy and the one on her left... They chattered excitedly to each other when she started to slowly reach for her weapon. _Bastards! You'd love it if I did try to fight back, wouldn't you? _she thought, swallowing back a rush of bile.

Her hand had just started to close around the gun when Frenzy looked away, toward her right. It was then that she heard the footsteps of something very big. For a split second she thought _'Optimus!_', but it was coming from the wrong direction. Maggie turned and stared at a third, and larger, pair of red optics approaching. Soundwave!

He growled something harsh in Cybertronian; it sounded like an order to her. _Oh, __**God**__! _She closed her eyes, shoulders sagging in defeat as that whirring sound was heard again, and something hard struck the back of her head.

"Frenzy!" Soundwave snapped again, irritated when he didn't answer right away.

"Swindle!" Frenzy dropped down to the cave floor, bouncing with glee. "Killed insect, Swindle! Killed insect!"

"Yes, I can see that," Soundwave said, frowning at being called Swindle. Ratbat hadn't exaggerated when he said Frenzy's memory banks were badly damaged. Hopefully it can be reversed without any substantial, permanent loss, if Hook can be convinced to repair Frenzy without interference from Starscream. At the moment, though, he was more interested in that curious flash of light he'd glimpsed. He walked over to the fallen human, tossing it aside to see what was underneath it. _Impossible!_

"What is that?" Frenzy asked, scuttling over to stand next to him, and squealed in surprise when an arc of blue energy surged outward, enveloping him. Shaking his head, he looked again at the object. "All Spark, Soundwave!"

"Yes, it is." _Which Starscream said had been destroyed.._. Soundwave reached down and picked it up. Ratbat and Buzzsaw flew down, landing on his shoulders.

"Autobot Prime coming!" Ratbat informed him.

"We're leaving, Frenzy," he said, holding his other hand down to Frenzy to climb up his arm and perch next to Ratbat. He was not about to risk a confrontation with Optimus Prime. Not while he had the Cube in his possession. It was the solution to a great many problems.

Smiling to himself, Soundwave turned and walked away with the prize.


	16. Chapter 16

"We're nearly at the entrance," Optimus said, glancing back at Simmons, then abruptly pivoted around. "Where is Maggie?"

"Huh?" Simmons turned, too. "She was right behind me."

He frowned and headed back the way they'd come. "Maggie?" he called, growing concerned when there was no reply. Had she tripped and injured herself? Some of the cave floor was marginally treacherous footing for humans. Optimus walked faster, searching for her, and found the smashed lamp, along with Maggie's grenade launcher. She was a few yards from them, lying at the base of a stalagmite.

"Maggie!" Optimus hurried over and knelt to gently pick her up. Her eyes were open, unblinking, but instead of their usual brightness, they were clouded. "...no..."

"What the hell happened?" Simmons demanded, having jogged to catch up with the Autobot.

"Maggie.. She's--" he trailed off, racked with guilt and sorrow. _If I'd been more attentive to her, instead of focusing entirely on getting outside as fast as possible..._

"She's dead!" Simmons loudly exclaimed, shocked, when he got a closer look at her. "Good God...How??"

Curling his hand around Maggie, Optimus felt something sharp scrape against a finger. He tilted her head to one side, reaching with his other hand and pulling out the shuriken. "_Primus..." _

"Oh, Christ.. I've seen one of those things before.." Simmons said, staring wide-eyed at the lethal weapon the Autobot held up.

"Yes..." Optimus snapped the shuriken in half between forefinger and thumb, ignoring the cuts it gave him, and rose to his feet. Praying that the Cube was somewhere among the maze of stalagmites, he scanned the vicinity. A burst of dread surged through him: The All Spark was gone. Maggie's murderers had taken it. However, they can't have gotten very far ahead in so short a period of time.

He carefully set Maggie's body back down on the ground, silently apologizing for his failure to protect her. "Wait here!" Optimus ordered Simmons, drawing his ion blaster and taking off in pursuit of Soundwave, furiously determined to avenge her and regain the All Spark. /_Jazz!_/ he called to his First Lieutenant. /_Soundwave and his drones are in the cave. They've taken the Cube!/_

**/**_How the __**hell**__--__We're comin' in!_/

_/Bring only two Autobots with you/ _Optimus instructed him. _/There must be another entrance nearby. It must be found. I'm going after them, but...if I cannot prevent their escape--/_

_/That's __**not**__ gonna happen!_/ Jazz firmly declared. /_Just save a drone for me, okay?/_

/_I--shall try_/ Optimus hedged, finding it difficult to remain as hopeful as Jazz was in light of his grievous error, and closed the link. A distant laugh from one of the drones, filled with malicious delight, drifted back to him. "Primus curse you, Decepticons_!"_he growled, the laugh goading him into running faster for a moment. Which was it's purpose, Optimus realized, and slowed, not about to rush headlong into an ambush.

Guessing at precisely where that repugnant laugh originated, he aimed his blaster at one of the larger stalagmites. It won't startle Soundwave into revealing his location, but the drones were far less disciplined than their master. Optimus fired, and was rewarded with the sound of wings flapping. _There you are..._

Soundwave stepped out from behind another stalagmite, next the destroyed one, and shot back at Optimus Prime, striking him just below the center of his chest and forcing him back a step. Frenzy jumped down to the floor, while Ratbat and Buzzsaw took to the air.

Exchanging glares with his enemy, Optimus noted that Soundwave still had three drones with him. One of them, surprisingly enough, was Frenzy, not Laserbeak. Soundwave's right hand was partly closed and held close to his body. _If I can just get closer to him...close enough to use my sword..._He quickly renewed his attack, firing repeatedly and using the stalagmites as shields, just as Soundwave was.

A shuriken sped through the air toward him, and Optimus batted it aside with his free hand, but missed the second one immediately following it. "_**Arh!!**_" he groaned as the disc struck his face, sinking deep into his left optic socket and sending hot flashes of agony through the circuitry. Catching a brief glimpse of Ratbat swooping down at him, claws aiming for his other optic, he grabbed hold of it by one wing.

Ratbat let out a shrill cry as his wing was promptly crushed in the Autobot's powerful grip. Buzzsaw and Frenzy started toward Optimus, the latter readying another shuriken, but fell back when the large blaster was leveled at them.

Grimacing when the drone slashed his arm with it's claws, Optimus flung it away from him and advanced towards Soundwave.

Suddenly changing tactics then, Soundwave called back his drones and pointed his blaster at the cave ceiling above Optimus Prime, firing repeatedly.

Optimus glanced upward, then lunged at Soundwave, but a shot to his leg made him stumble. A falling stalactite struck him in the back, knocking him to the ground as a large part of the ceiling broke apart, raining chunks of rock down on him.

His audios picking up the approach of more Autobots, Soundwave took moment to gloat as their half-blinded leader struggled to free himself from the rubble he was trapped under.

Scooping up the crippled Ratbat, he opened his other hand, displaying the All Spark to Optimus Prime as it healed his small friend.

"No one can stop us now." Soundwave smiled victoriously, tucking the Cube under his chest armor in the space formally occupied by Rumble, before walking off.

/_Jazz!!/ _Optimus desperately sent to him.

/_Almost there. Hang on!/_

He managed to pull his right arm loose, but Soundwave had already vanished among the stalagmites. The sound of several more blaster shots echoed back to him. The Decepticon was creating more cave-ins, larger ones, to ensure his escape. Optimus pounded his fist on the ground, frustrated at being completely helpless to stop him.

"_Optimus!_" Jazz rushed to his side, kicking aside broken stalactites, and immediately started digging him out. "You two, go after Soundwave!" he ordered Prowl and Ultra Magnus, who were right behind him.

"It's too late..They're gone..." Optimus dropped his head down on the floor in despair with a dull clank. There was very little chance of catching up with the Decepticons, or of finding the entrance they'd used in time.

"This way has been nearly completely blocked," Prowl reported to them. "It will take three to five cycles to clear it enough for us to get through."

"There are more blockades, behind that one; Soundwave's doing," Optimus told them, closing his right optic. "It's no use. Come back."

Jazz muttered a rather colorful Cybertronian curse, then rallied himself. "We'll nab 'em on the outside, then. You'll see," he insisted, trying to convince himself as much as Optimus, and hauled the last of the rocks off of his leader's legs as Prowl and Ultra Magnus returned.

Optimus slowly got to his feet, grimacing as dented armor plates scraped painfully against each other.

Jazz flinched at the grinding noise, and at the shuriken jutting out from Optimus' face. "Damn... Gotta get you to Ratchet, pronto." His optics widened. "Did they hurt Maggie?! She didn't look too good when I ran by her 'n Simmons."

"She..." Optimus bowed his head despondantly. "She is dead."

Jazz stared at him, almost speechless with shock. "Ah, _man_.. Not Maggie!"

"Maggie?" Prowl frowned at the unfortunate news. "That was Ratchet's human, correct? Maggie Madsen?"

"Yes...and Ironhide's," Optimus answered, sadly.

Prowl blinked in surprise at that. Ratchet _and_ Ironhide? These humans must be sturdier than they appear. But not sturdy enough to withstand a Decepticon attack, of course. Ratchet was _not_ going to take this well. "Who killed her?"

"It was one of Soundwave's drones; I don't know which one." Optimus started to hobble back in the direction of the cave entrance, Jazz and Ultra Magnus at his sides, while Prowl guarded their backs. "He does have Frenzy with him again."

"I'll rip those damned drones apart with my own hands!" Jazz snarled.

Optimus glanced at him, grimly nodding permission, with one condition. "I want to know which of them killed her before you do."

"Deal!"

"The Decepticons will pay for everything they've done," Ultra Magnus stated with a thunderous expression, then all fell silent as they walked on. A couple of minutes later they were at the spot where the attack occurred.

His lamp on the floor, Simmons was holding the grenade launcher, armed and ready, when they appeared. "Oh.. It's you." Relieved, he lowered the weapon. "Jazz told me to get her outside, but I figured I'd wait 'til you guys got back," he nervously explained, not about to tell them that being around dead bodies bugged the hell out of him.

"I'll do it," Optimus quietly said, walking over to Maggie, but had difficulty kneeling down. "Jazz?"

"Sure, Optimus..." Jazz gingerly picked up her body and placed her in Optimus' hand.

"--where's the Cube thing?" asked Simmons.

"Soundwave has it," Ultra Magnus grimly informed the human.

Simmons' eyes bulged with fear. "..oh, Christ.."

"But not for long," Jazz reiterated.

Optimus made no reply to that, cradling Maggie in his hand and somberly continuing the slow trek, and eventually reaching the cave entrance. It was still dark outside, he dully observed as they stepped outside. For some reason it felt like more time had passed. Wheeljack and Ratchet had stayed with Sam and Mikaela -- Major Lennox must have gone with the other Autobots in their search for more entrances to the cave.

Ratchet did a double-take at the numerous injuries, and hurried toward Optimus. Then he saw her lying in Optimus' palm. Completely motionless. His stride faltered. "--Maggie?" He attempted to run a scan on her vital signs, but there were none. "...no..."

"I..I am sorry, Ratchet," Optimus said, voice faded with remorse.

Mikaela clapped both hands to her mouth, horrified. "--oh, my God.."

"No...no, no, no." Sam shook his head in denial, fists clenched. "This is not happening..."

"_Maggie!?" _Ratchet scanned her again, and again. "_**No!**_" he shouted, grief and rage overloading him. His optics darkened and he toppled over backwards, crashing to the ground as he dropped offline.

* * *

"You said you had interesting news for me?" Starscream inquired, transforming and landing near Thunderblast.

"Yes, I do." She nodded. "Thundercracker is coming along quite nicely. Just a few breems ago, he was mere astro-seconds away from attacking Shockwave."

"He was?" Starscream asked, impressed with the swift progress. "How did you manage that?"

"I have ways of _persuading _others." Thunderblast smiled secretively. "If all goes according to my plan, those two will fight next time, and I'll make certain that it is Shockwave who dies."

"Good." Starscream nodded, then turned away from her as he received another report.

Thunderblast waited, annoyed at losing his complete attention. "Who was that?" she asked, rather snippy, when he was done.

"Dirge. He informs me that these China humans have mobilized most of their army to defend another city, one called Beijing," he told her.

"So they're intelligent enough to realize that this one is beyond saving," Thunderblast remarked, uninterested, looking down at the fires spreading throughout Shanghai.

"So it seems." Starscream shrugged. "I'm sending my Decepticons there. Whatever challenge these China humans present should keep them from becoming complacent." _It will also force them into recharging sooner,_ he thought, and had no intention of doing so himself until the others are already in stasis.

_'My Decepticons'. _Thunderblast smiled to herself; he was beginning to sound more like a leader now. "But what of those nuclear power plants you told me of?" she huffed.

He gave her an amused, sidelong look. "There just happens to be one nearby," Starscream said, and changed back to jet form, hovering above the ground. "Would you like to watch it's destruction?"

"Yes, very much." Thunderblast eagerly grabbed onto a hand-hold. Finally he was starting to unbend around her.

Starscream flew low over treetops, away from the center of the Shanghai city, and set her down atop an abandoned apartment building, facing a group of structures. Set far apart from other buildings in this area, they were gray and fairly nondescript. Unremarkable, really, except for the fact that they were heavily guarded.

Thunderblast counted six tanks on her side of the nuclear plant, and as many military helicoptors circling overhead. There were several vehicles, jeeps, situated between the tanks, with well-armed humans standing up in them. One of them spotted Starscream as he approached the plant and pointed at him, yelling a warning to the others.

The helicopters split up into two groups as they engaged Starscream, firing missiles at him when he was in range. Both humans and tanks followed suit. Relying on superior speed and maneuverability, Starscream evaded the missiles and returned fire, destroying two of the helicopters and three tanks. He flew over the plant, striking two more tanks on the other side. These exertions were sapping more of his energy than he'd anticipated, though. Starscream swung back around and struck more tanks and helicopters.

Thunderblast watched as more and more Earth vehicles burst into flames, the screams from the humans inside lasting only a few astro-seconds. Starscream dodged more missiles, but appeared to be flying slower now. She tensed when one of the humans' missiles did hit it's mark; the middle of Starscream's left wing.

Hissing at the searing pain, he banked sharply to the right to avoid another missile. _Have to finish this now..._Starscream turned in a tight circle and, using Ramjet's tactic, flew straight at one of the surviving helicopters. For a moment he thought the pilot was determined sacrifice himself and his helicopter to try to block him, but then it swerved at the last moment, narrowly avoiding a collision. He fired more missiles, this time directly into the nuclear plant as he flew over it.

"We should locate Hook, so he can repair your wing," Thunderblast commented when Starscream returned to the hill, sparks cascading from his wing as he transformed back to robotic form.

Starscream scowled at her. "No."

_Now why would that suggestion make him angry? _She shrugged and glanced at the collapsed nuclear plant, where a large cloud of steam was billowing out from it. "A mist? Is that all?" Thunderblast asked, disappointed.

"That 'mist' is lethal. It will poison virtually every organic lifeform it touches, and it will spread for many miles," he explained.

"Really?" She looked at the growing steam cloud again and smiled, impressed with his strategy. "So...one of the humans' own creations can be used in exterminating them."

"I thought you might appreciate the irony," Starscream said, his metal frame drooping slightly as exhaustion caught up with him.

"I do indeed." Thunderblast turned back toward him, noticing his change in posture, and his flickering optics. "You need to recharge."

"I will _not_ be seen as _weak!_" he snapped back in a burst of ire.

"You are not weak," she stated, patiently keeping her own temper in check. "I've learned _that_from personal experience. But you're also not invincible. Neither was Megatron, as we all now know." --_may he rot in the Pit for the damage he's inflicted on this one,_Thunderblast thought, observing the way Starcream stiffened when she mentioned their former leader, and was astonished to realize that she was actually a little sympathetic toward him.

_Hmm. _That was an--unexpected feeling, and may have to be purged if it becomes inconvenient. For now, though, it may prove useful in convincing him to trust her. "Be sensible and find a safe place to recharge; the Beijing mission will keep everyone busy until you're ready to rejoin them."

"Everyone except _you_," Starscream said, regarding her with deep suspicion.

Thunderblast almost growled in aggravation at this setback. "Very well. I swear to Primus that I will do nothing that might interfere with your recharge." _That_ ought to convince him.

"I will know if you do," he warned, finally accepting the fact that he had no other choice in the matter, though he found it nearly intolerable to need help from anyone.

"..I'm sure you would..." she muttered, and was briefly tempted to just leave and let Starscream fend for himself. _He is under a lot of stress_, Thunderblast reminded herself. Especially when having to deal with those miscreant Constructicons. _"Now_ can we leave?_"_

"Yes..." A small shudder ran through him as he transformed again, more sparks flying from damaged wires. _I will have Hook repair my wing, _Starscream decided. _If he complains, I'll rip out his vocal processor._

_

* * *

_/_No sign any other cave entrance yet_/ a frustrated Arcee reported to the other Autobots. /_Is __anyone having better luck?_/

/_Not yet,_/Hoist and Mirage both told her.

/_I've seen no sign of Soundwave, or his drones from above. They might still be underground,_/ Broadside answered_._

/_I found one opening, but it's too small for Soundwave to use,_/ Grapple said.

/_Same here,_/Sideswipe grumbled. /_Hold on... Just found another. Looks like humans dug it out_./

/_We're going in to check it out_/ added Sunstreaker.

/_Be careful!_/ Jazz ordered.

/_Are you all right, Jazz?_/ Arcee asked. His voice sounded strained.

/_--no. They killed Maggie._/

/_Oh, Primus..._/She closed her optics for a moment, mourning for her friend's loss.

/_Please give Ratchet my condolences._/

/_I will, soon as he wakes up. And keep looking, okay? Soundwave's gotta come back out sooner or later./_

/_We're inside,_/Sideswipe suddenly announced to them. /_There are nine humans here, all dead_./

/--_They did not die well,_/ added Sunstreaker, in a disgusted tone.

/_...do I even wanna know?/ _asked Jazz.

/_No._/ Sunstreaker replied_._ /_You don't._/

/_Slagging butchers_!/ Jazz cursed. /_Any sign of 'em?/_

/_No. Just this little surprise they left behind. We're going to look further, try to track them._/

/_Be careful,_/Arcee said, moving stealthily through a large stand of trees. On the other side of it she spotted a tunnel descending beneath the ground. It looked just large enough for a Decepticon the size of Soundwave to squeeze through, and the soil around it had been disturbed, quite recently. She stepped back behind a large tree for cover. /_I've found where Soundwave entered the cave!/ _Arcee quickly sent her coordinates to the other Autobots.

/_I'll be there in two cycles, Arcee, / _Broadside responded.

/_Everyone else keep searching/ _Optimus urged them. /_Soundwave could have a different route planned./_

/_He won't get far if he comes our way,_/ promised Sideswipe.

A scrabbling sound caught Arcee's attention then, coming from the direction of the cave, and she went still.A native animal? Or-- She waited a moment, then risked peeking out from behind the tree. Frenzy was standing two feet from the cave opening, and looked right back at her. /_They're here!_/ she alerted the others, drawing her crossbow and firing at the drone.

/_Don't fight them alone!_/ Prowl exclaimed, a hint of alarm in his voice.

/_I can't do nothing, and let Soundwave get away!_/

Frenzy slipped on the wet grass as he attempted to avoid the small missile, and fell onto his side. The missile just missed his upper body and struck the ground, and he vanished back into the cave.

The other two drones appeared a moment later, separated, and flew into the trees on either side of Arcee, too fast for her to get a decent shot off. She crouched down, then darted over to a different tree when hers was hit by one of the drones and caught fire. Ratbat and Buzzsaw were accomplished hunters themselves, she knew, and moved to another tree, further away from her original position. Keeping her sensors tuned for them, she glanced again at the cave and saw Soundwave emerging, his blaster already drawn.

/_Broadside, hurry! __**He's**__ come out!/_

_/Hold on, Arcee!_/

/_We're on our way, too,_/ Sunstreaker told her.

/_I'll try to slow him down..._/ Arcee looked warily about before stepping out from the woods, keeping one of the larger trees at her back. Frenzy was clinging to Soundwave's shoulder, and the other two Pit-spawned drones weren't far away, she knew.

"A _femme_? Is that the best that Optimus Prime has left?" he sneered contemptuously, drawing a snicker from Frenzy.

"I'm more than capable of taking down a hunk of slag like _you_," Arcee retorted, with a lot more bravado than she was feeling. She'd rarely faced a Decepticon as large as Soundwave, and never by herself. Primus, she missed Elita, and the rest of her squad, more than ever now.

"Kill the Autobot!" Frenzy demanded, impatient when they both just stood there, weapons pointed at each other while they exchanged insults. "Now, now, now!"

"Yes, my friends and I really don't have time any more _pleasantries_," Soundwave said, mockingly, and fired at her.

Arcee tucked her bow close to her body as she rolled forward, easily avoiding the blast. Not that it was actually meant to hit her: Soundwave's goal was to keep her attention on him while Ratbat and Buzzsaw attack from behind. She whirled around, lifting her crossbow and firing. The missile struck Ratbat directly in the chest and sent him plummeting to the ground.

Hissing, Buzzsaw dove down at Arcee, sharp claws sinking into her back, sending a spasm through her processor. She twisted about and smacked him away, those claws of his leaving behind gouges. An angry chitter was heard from Frenzy, and a shuriken sped through the air, slicing into her right knee joint.

Arcee held back a cry of pain as she fell forward, landing on her other knee and one hand. Her other hand still gripping the crossbow tightly, and, disregarding the drones, she aimed at the center of Soundwave's chest and fired.

/_Disarm the femme!_/ Soundwave ordered, annoyed, as the missiles struck the metal plating covering his spark casing.

_/Yes!/ _Buzzsaw landed atop Arcee's crossbow, claws and beak tearing at it. At the same time Frenzy flung himself at the femme, throwing her off balance when she swatted at Buzzsaw again.

_Primus, where __**are**__ they?! _Arcee thought with a stab of fear, dropping the now-useless crossbow as she fell over onto her back. She couldn't keep this up much longer. A flash of blue light drew her attention back to Soundwave as he walked over to them. The scorch marks on his armor suddenly vanished. _The All Spark!_

"You and your kind are _finished_!" he growled, bringing a foot down on her upper body.

"_Uhn!_" A groan of pain escaped Arcee as her own armor creaked, then started to buckle under the pressure. /_The Cube...under his chest armor...lower left section.../ _she sent to the other Autobots, shoving futilely at his foot.

"Thanks," Sunstreaker said aloud, right before he and Sideswipe slammed into Soundwave, knocking him off his feet.

/_Are you all right, Arcee??_/ a worried Sideswipe asked.

/_Not exactly../ _She shut down her pain processors and sat up, quickly taking stock of the damage. Web-like cracks criss-crossed her front armor, and there were undoubtedly more in her back. It will take her self-repair systems a few cycles to heal those. Her leg was a different matter entirely. Just two cables were all that was holding it together. /_I can't stand_./

_/If you can crawl, get over here!_/ Sunstreaker commanded, as he and Sideswipe pinned Soundwave to the ground.

_/Keep him down!/ _Arcee turned over and, on her hands and knees, hurriedly made her way over.

/_--we're trying!_/ Sideswipe muttered, putting all of his weight into keeping Soundwave's right arm immobile. Arcee reached them then, and began tugging at the chest plate that concealed the All Spark. Blue light surged outward, forcing her to pause as the Cube's energy swept through her. Unfortunately, the two remaining drones chose that moment to remind the Autobots of their presence.

Frenzy launched his last shuriken at Arcee, which was deflected by Sideswipe, then he resorted to his guns, firing at them. The shots didn't inflict nearly as much damage to the Autobots as he'd hoped, but did succeed in interrupting the femme's attempt to steal the All Spark.

Sunstreaker had also pulled open a chest plate, to get at Soundwave's motor functions. Screeching in protest, Buzzsaw flew at him, clawing at his face. "_**Argh! **__..you slaggin' little_..." Enraged, Sunstreaker caught hold of the drone and ripped it's left wing off, right before a powerful punch sent him flying.

Buzzsaw landed on the ground with a small thump, and immediately dropped offline.

"Suns--" Sideswipe broke off when he and Arcee were grabbed and thrown several feet.

_I should have just left, instead of allowing that femme to delay me! _Soundwave thought, aiming his blaster and firing at the yellow Autobot, and sent a plea for aid to a fellow Decepticon. One that he hoped was convincing enough.

Sunstreaker let loose a string of curses as the shot struck him in the midsection, sending him crashing to the ground again. Fury turned to elation when he heard Broadside's arrival.

Snatching up Buzzsaw, Soundwave rose to his feet and slowly backed away from the much larger Autobot that landed, transforming to stand between him and the cave entrance. /_Now would be an ideal time!_/ he sent to his would-be ally.

/_I'm coming...I'm coming..._/ came the grumbled reply.

The Cube discharged more energy, regenerating Buzzsaw's wing. He came back online with a surprised squawk. /_Stay still,_/ Soundwave ordered him.

"Surrender the All Spark, and we'll let you live," Broadside offered, his cannon armed and trained on Soundwave.

Keeping a wary optic on the three armed Autobots as they surrounded him, Soundwave reached down and picked up Ratbat next. Frenzy scurried over and clambered up his other arm. And again the Cube healed with a bright blue flash of light. "No."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Sunstreaker said, simmering with anger over the damage to his armor.

/_Disable only, if you can,_/ Broadside told both twins, adhering to Optimus' code of ethics.

/_You would say-- __**Stop him!**_/ Sideswipe burst out, and all three fired when another Decepticon suddenly appeared next to Soundwave.

Staggered by the bombardment, Skywarp managed to grab hold of Soundwave and teleported, taking himself and his passengers to the Washington City.

"Skywarp!" Disconcerted to find himself over one hundred feet in the air now, Soundwave jerked his head around to look at Skywarp as they both started falling. His optics were dark -- he was offline, thanks to the Autobots. Soundwave gripped an arm tightly and turned so he was facing him. As before, the All Spark responded with a flash of light, healing both of them.

Coming back online, Skywarp saw their dilemma and teleported again, this time getting them to the ground safely. "...sloppy.." he muttered, annoyed by his uncharacteristic misjudgment. "Just what is this 'surprise' you mentioned?"

"I'll tell you, along with the other Decepticons, when I'm ready," Soundwave firmly told him, half-expecting him to notice that his injuries were gone, but he didn't. Skywarp wasn't particularly intelligent, and had one of the shortest attention spans he'd even encountered in a Decepticon. "Trust me, it is worth the wait."

"Hmph." Skywarp looked at him skeptically. "A clue would be appreciated."

Soundwave smiled. "My surprise will change _everything_. Now, I need you to take me to Missouri. Then you'll have to return to Beijing City, before the others notice you're gone."

/_Help Barricade now?_/ Frenzy asked, restless.

/_I told you, we'll come back later for your friend. It will take at least one mega-cycle for Hook to reassemble Barricade/ _Soundwave reminded, giving Skywarp the coordinates to a particular forest in Missouri. Frenzy nodded, satisfied for now.

"Fine." Pondering the clue Soundwave gave him, Skywarp teleported again. He had a feeling things were about to get very interesting.

* * *

"Ok, he's wakin' up..I think," Jazz said, sounding strangely muted. "C'mon, Doc."

Ratchet resisted a moment longer, wanting nothing more than to just be left alone, to mourn in peace. As it always did, though, his sense of duty overrode any personal feelings he had. Optics flicking open, he slowly sat up and looked around. The other Autobots stood about silently, a dejected air about them.

Will was standing next to Ultra Magnus' feet, and that was the grimmest expression Ratchet had ever seen from the soldier. Sam was seated on Jazz's leg, staring off into the distance as he hugged his knees to his chest. Simmons was standing by his SUV, a small tick making his cheek spasm. His hat was on the ground by his feet, and looked like it had been stomped on in a fit of anger. A faint sob drew Ratchet's attention to Mikaela, who was leaning against Bumblebee's side, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"What has happened?" he asked, forcing himself to get up. There were repairs to be done...

"--Soundwave has escaped with the All Spark," Optimus quietly shared the disheartening news they'd received moments ago from Broadside.

"_Primus..."_ A desolate feeling swept over him, and he dropped his gaze to Maggie. "_Give her to me_," Ratchet said, his voice harsh from a fresh surge of grief, and held out one hand.

Head bowing, Optimus carefully passed her body to Ratchet. Wheeljack had removed the shuriken, replaced the destroyed optic with one of the spares he carried around with him, and repaired the worst of the dents in his armor. Optimus had insisted that Ratchet be allowed to awaken when he was ready to.

"--who?" Ratchet asked, scanning Maggie again, more thoroughly this time. The wound in the back of her head sent a painful twinge through his spark.

"One of Soundwave's drones," Optimus quietly answered, turning when the Arcee and the twins returned.

"Broadside's scouring the area," Sideswipe reported.

"They've probably left this miserable planet by now," Sunstreaker pointed out, ignoring the resentful looks from the humans.

"Ratchet?" Optimus inquired, his voice low with compassion.

"What?" Barely listening to their conversation, it took a moment for Ratchet to answer. He shook his head, closing his hand around Maggie. "No...they're still on Earth."

"You said you were injured, Arcee?" Prowl asked, going over to her, with Hoist right behind him.

Arcee blinked, surprised by his uncharacteristic behavior; he looked and sounded worried. That was...peculiar. "I did get close enough to the All Spark for it to heal me." She looked over at Optimus then. "I'm sorry for my failure, Sir," Arcee apologized, blaming herself for not being strong enough.

Optimus shook his head sadly, looking down at the dried blood on his hand. "I am the one who failed. I--was impatient to leave the cave. Losing the Cube is my fault," he stated, glancing around at everyone.

Sunstreaker immediately objected to that assessment. "You can't blame yourselves, when that human foolishly let itself fall behind."

His fury reigniting, Ratchet seized Sunstreaker by the neck. "_Do __**not**__ speak of her that way!"_

_"Optimus!_" Sideswipe exclaimed in alarm.

Optimus and Wheeljack both moved toward him. "_Ratchet_!"

"_What?!_"

Stunned by the sudden attack, Sunstreaker tried to pry himself free of that vise-like grip, but quickly gave up when Ratchet's fingers squeezed threateningly. The medic was larger and stronger. _What the slag was I thinking? _/_Help!_/

"--I've always said Sunstreaker's vocal processors needs a filter," Jazz put in, trying to defuse the standoff.

Optimus stepped closer. "Let him go, Ratchet.. Please..."

His fingers tightened a little more before Ratchet gained control over himself and released Sunstreaker.

_Idiot... _Sideswipe thought, not for the first time, as he and the others relaxed.

Sunstreaker immediately backed away from him, well aware of the disapproving frowns he was receiving from all the other Autobots. "I'm sorry," he apologized profusely to Ratchet. "I didn't mean to insult your mate."

Ratchet glared at him. "Do _not_ let it happen again."

"It won't," Sundstreaker promised emphatically.

"I suggest that you readjust your attitude towards other lifeforms," Optimus added, directing a cold, flat gaze at Sunstreaker.

"Yeah. You can be a real prick sometimes," Mikaela remarked, wiping her cheeks dry with her sleeve. "Try to work on that, ok?"

""I will, Sir. Absolutely." He nodded to both of them.

"Good." Ratchet looked back down at Maggie, his lingering anger giving way to guilt. "..it's my fault. I sent her to this cave.."

"Are you saying you knew that Soundwave would be there?" Wheeljack countered, worried over his friend's words.

_"No!" _Ratchet shook his head in confused misery. "I did have a feeling that she had to come here..but I didn't know why; I _should_ have sensed the danger."

"You must have realized that your time with her would have been limited anyway," Prowl reasoned.

"_No!_"

/Prowl...that's not helpful/ Arcee sent to him, and he desisted, looking rather embarrased.

Ratchet fell silent, absently stroking his thumb over Maggie's back, out of habit.

"Can you sense where the Decepticons have taken the All Spark?" Grapple asked him, cautiously steering the conversation back to the original subject.

"You're asking me to trust my instincts??" Ratchet gave him an astonished look.

"I'm asking you to try."

He stared at Grapple for a moment, then nodded slightly, and made an effort to concentrate on the Decepticons, and the Cube. "I sense--constant movement.. We all know who Soundwave and Skywarp are loyal to."

"And it's _not_ Starscream," Wheeljack said, with a troubled frown.

"Oh, no...No, no, no.." Sam bounded to his feet, Jazz cupped his hand around him to keep him from falling. "Not _**him**_!!"

"Ah, _dammit_!" Will immediately pulled out his cell phone. "I'll call my superiors...tell them to send ships to the Laurentian Abyss."

"They won't be able to stop Skywarp." Ratchet exchanged grave looks with Optimus.

Optimus nodded, pain and regret dimming his optics. "It's over..."

Jazz looked over at him, deeply concerned. /_I've never known you to just give up, Optimus_./

"But what can we do?" Hoist asked, looking to their leader for orders.

"Do?" Optimus repeated, at a loss at how to answer that question. Everything had depended on the All Spark...

"We have two viable options," Prowl began, slowly. "We can flee, and leave this world to it's fate, or we can make Earth our last stand against the Decepticons."

Mikaela held her breath, watching the assembly with apprehension. _They're not going to just abandon us...are they?_

"I for one intend to stay here and continue fighting until the very end," declared Ultra Magnus.

Optimus glanced at him, startled as he recalled similar words from Maggie right after they'd entered Mammoth Cave. Had she somehow sensed what was going to happen?

"I am_ not _running away like a coward," Sunstreaker growled.

Sideswipe firmly nodded. "Neither will I."

"Does everyone agree?" Optimus looked around at the rest of the Autobots, who nodded as well. "We shall stay and fight, then, for as long as we are able to."

"...God..." Sam whispered, swallowing convulsively as the enormity of it all hit him. "We really are all gonna die."

Jazz didn't respond, and picked Sam up instead, holding his human close to his chest.


	17. Chapter 17

A.N. Sorry for the delay. I got distracted by Cloverfield.

Contains a small amount of mechsmut.

A.N. #2 to Shadowcat: Part of this chapter is a bit depressing, but things will start getting better soon!

* * *

__

_"_**Stop. Doing. That**!"

"_**No!**__" _Ravage snarled back, and continued raking all four sets of claws over the floor and walls of the cargo hold he was being held in.

Sixshot fumed. What started out as more sulking had suddenly turned into a full-blown rebellion. It was painful, not to mention _very_ irritating, and, even worse, Ravage had waited until he was preoccupied with the human fightefr jets. There was little he could do at the moment to put an end to this behavior, and it was also starting to distract him from the battle he was in. He went into another spin to avoid two missiles fired at him.

Ravage practically howled as he was thrown about into the ceiling and walls, and retaliated by attacking the floor again. Then he noticed a very faint humming noise coming from underneath one section of the metal plating in the wall nearest to him. He dug his claws in and peeled it back, exposing wiring and a thick cable.

"_**Don't! **_I'll lose control of my navigation system," Sixshot warned him.

Not believing that for an astro-second, Ravage snorted derisively and promptly shredded the cable and wires. He almost lost his balance when Sixshot shook, a strong shudder rattling his metal frame. _Oops..._

"_You stupid __**glitch**__!_" he roared, turning sharply to the left, then plummeting down, toward a tall building marked as some sort of Television Company.

Ravage cringed in fear, pressing himself into a corner as Sixshot flew head-on into the building.

Sixshot crashed through the entire building and clipped the corner of the one behind it with his right wing, causing him to flip over and land upside-down in the middle of an intersection.

"...sorry..." Ravage said meekly, picking himself up after hitting the ceiling again. To his surprise, Sixshot didn't say anything, muttered threats or otherwise. "Sixshot?"

Still no answer. _Not good, _he thought, pacing back and forth. The screams of the terrified humans outside gradually faded away as they all fled. After about three cycles of complete silence his audio receptors picked up the sound of large vehicles approaching. Sixshot wasn't even trying to fly away, or transform; he just lay there in the street. _Not good at all!_

He crept over to a window and peeked out. Uniformed China humans were surrounding them, carrying weapons that shot out some kind of white smoke at Sixshot. Whatever the substance was, it was _very_cold. He could feel it seeping in through the walls. Apparently there weren't enough guns to be effective against someone as big as Sixshot -- he could hear one of the humans calling for reinforcement. _Have to think of something...fast._

Thick, heavy-looking chains had also been brought and were being secured around Sixshot. Ravage paced again, frantically this time. "...didn't mean to get us caught..." he muttered to himself, and thought about calling for help, but was afraid the other Decepticons would just laugh at him. Especially since he was responsible for this accident. Inadvertently, of course. "..what to do..what to do..." he pondered aloud, pacing some more.

Ravage went over to the locked door leading to the front part of Sixshot's aerial mode, dug his claws into a seam and forced it open. The pain this had to cause didn't rouse Sixshot, as he'd hoped it would. _He must have been damaged when we crashed, _Ravage realized, as he trotted through the door to the front part of Sxishot's aerial mode.

There was the problem; an iron lighting pole had pierced the armor plating on Sixshot's right side, right where his central processor was located. Ravage inspected the large batch of wires that had been snapped. Many of them were twisted together now. He wasn't sure if he was experienced enough to reconnect them properly. Ravage jumped a good foot in the airwhen Sixshot lurched from side to side, then he crouched low. "Sixshot?"

Ravage spun around, realizing that Sixshot was being dragged forward now. The humans were moving him. _Must get rid of them first, then fix my mistake, _Ravage thought, changing to robotic form, and pushed the pole back out. It fell to the ground outside with a clatter, attracting the humans' attention.

Ravage backed away, transforming back to his favorite feline mode, as the icy-cold smoke was aimed at the small hole the pole had left in Sixshot's armor. As soon as it dissipated, he sprang forward, claws tearing at the hole to make it large enough for him to squeeze through. The bright sunlight blinded him, and he was forced to shut down his optics, using on his other sensors to locate the humans that surrounded them.

The humans were caught by surprise to see a 'leopard' spring out of the enemy aircraft, and were easy to kill. A bite to the throat, or even a single swipe of his claws, was enough, and the quickest way, too. But it was also messy. They leaked a great deal of that red fluid, blood. Ravage shrugged; he'd worry about getting clean later. Now for those wires. If he was lucky, he had at least one breem before more China soldiers come here. He slipped back inside, removed what few medic tools he had tucked under his armor, and tentatively got started on reconnecting wires.

Bright sparks flew each time he chose wrong. Ravage grumbled, frustrated, but kept trying. On his twelth attempt there were no sparks. A very faint humming sound let him know he'd finally chosen correctly. More wires were matched up, and soon the processor was functioning again. "--Sixshot?"

"_**You!**_" the deep growl rumbled, and Sixshot began transforming.

Ravage squealed and dove for the hole. Luckily for him, that icy-cold smoke the humans used had slowed down Sixshot's self-repair system. He squeezed through to the outside, escaping just two astro-seconds before he would have been crushed. Landing awkwardly on one of the humans' vehicles, he scrambled to his feet and jumped down, and was promptly grabbed. "_Let go!_" he demanded, kicking his back legs.

Sixshot stood, lifting Ravage up in front of him. "I should _kill_ you for that!"

"_Ungrateful slag!_" he spat back.

His optics narrowed sharply. "_What?!_"

"You were injured. Caught by humans. _I _fixed you!" Ravage announced, lifting his head proudly.

"_That _happened because of _you!_" Sixshot squeezed hard, his razor-sharp fingers cutting into Ravage's body.

To the Pit with apologizing for his role in the crash. Ravage glared at him, baring red-stained fangs. "Would not have happened if you hadn't stolen me!"

"...and I'd told Soundwave that you were timid..." he mused, suddenly seeing the humor in the situation.

Ravage closed his mouth, confused by his change in expression. "--not going to kill me?"

Sixshot paused, looking around as he pondered that question. This persistent defiance was oddly appealing, he has to admit. There were several dead humans, scattered about on the ground. He turned back to Ravage, loosening his grip slightly. "Why didn't you run when you had the chance, instead of repairing me?" he asked, curious.

"I-- I..." Ravage dropped his head, humiliated, and let himself hang limply. That hadn't even occurred to him! "..am stupid..."

"Hm... Is it stupidity, or a strong sense of loyalty to a partner?" Sixshot regarded him steadily for a long moment, and contemplated the additional advantage this could give him over Soundwave. "What do you want?"

_What do __**I **__want? _Ravage squirmed uncomfortably, recalling a myriad of scornful insults and slights he'd gotten from other Decepticons over countless vorns. "Want _respect!"_

He nodded and set Ravage down on the ground. There were human vehicles coming their way, accompanied by three helicopters, and Sixshot wasn't going to attempt to fly again himself until Hook repaired his navigation system.

Ravage stared, bewildered, when Sixshot turned and strode away at a fast place, leaving him behind. /_Not angry?_/

/_No. Not anymore_/ Sixshot replied, with marked indifference.

/_--I go with you?/ _Ravage hesitantly asked; there really wasn't anything else he could do under the current circumstances.

/_If you want to, yes. I won't carry you around as if you're a Sparkling, the way that __**he**__ always did._/ That stung Ravage's pride, as he'd anticipated.

_/Am not a Sparkling!_/ he declared, sprinting to catch up with his partner.

Sixshot heard Ravage following him, and smiled to himself.

* * *

"I've searched two hundred miles of this land," Broadside reported as he landed and transformed. His wings drooped disconsolately. "There's no sign of Skywarp, or Soundwave."

"Thank you for trying," Optimus said, looking around. Sam was still on his cell phone, urging his parents to take Mojo and head down to Mexico. Will Lennox, on the other hand, had called his wife and told her to pack and go north into Canada.

Most of the Autobots were standing about in pairs, quietly waiting for the signal to roll out. Ratchet stood apart from them, still holding Maggie, and hardly noticing the sympathetic looks from the others. Worried by his medic's apathy, Optimus' gaze drifted over to Mikaela, who hadn't moved from Bumblebee's side. That lost, forlorn expression on her face sent yet another pang through his spark. She apparently felt him watching her, and raised her head to look back at him. He walked over to her. "I am truly sorry for what has happened, Mikaela."

She gave him a small, sad smile. "You've really got to stop being so hard on yourself, Optimus," Mikaela said, her voice a little hoarse. "It's _not_ your fault."

"If you say so." He made an effort to smile back, but didn't quite succeed.

"I do." Mikaela heaved a sigh. "What I don't understand is why Soundwave came here in the first place. Did he find out about the All Spark?"

"No way!" Simmons insisted. "I told you, all the records were destroyed. Everyone who did know is long dead."

"Soundwave had Frenzy with him." Optimus looked over thoughtfully at Agent Simmons. "He must have recovered his drone very recently.

"He--what??" Simmons blanched at the news. "Oh, Christ...He can't have."

"Yeah? Why's that?" Jazz asked, getting suspicious.

He shifted his feet nervously. "We were holding Frenzy -- NBE 3, we called him -- at Hoover Dam. When we found out there were Decepticons were coming, the decision was made to move him somewhere else."

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Sam blurted out, having finally hung up the phone, turning around in Jazz's hand to stare angrily down at Simmons. "They moved that little creep here, where the Cube parts were? Didn't they learn anything the first time?!"

"The current Sector Seven members are unaware that pieces of the All Spark were being stored here," Prowl reminded him.

"Oh...Yeah, right.." Sam settled back down, a bit deflated.

"Frenzy wasn't supposed to be here, anyway!" Simmons answered, defensively. "The plan was to move it to the Greenland facility."

"So your bosses changed their mind and just forgot to tell you? Is that it?" Mikaela asked, with a touch of sarcasm.

"Look, I don't know what went wrong! I've been pretty much out of the loop since we left California," he said, getting tired of being blamed for everything. "Had to call in favors to get updates on those damned Decepticons. I had no idea they brought that drone thing to this damn cave!"

"Well... it does explain those dead humans Sunstreaker and I found," Sideswipe blandly commented.

"Yes." Optimus turned toward the twins. "Sunstreaker, you and Simmons go to that part of the cave. Find out if there's anything still there that may be of help to us."

_Primus, Why me? _he thought, but nodded without complaining. "This way," Sunstreaker sharply ordered, walking past the human and into the woods.

"...damn punk..." Simmons muttered under his breath as he trudged along behind the gaudy-colored Autobot.

"_What _did you just say?"

"...nothing..."

"Hmph. Thought so. And _try _to keep up," he said, sounding highly doubtful that the puny human was capable of so simple a feat.

Simmons glowered at the Autobot's back. "You got a problem with me?"

Sunstreaker looked back at the human, optics narrowing. "Mikaela Banes told us about you, _Agent _Simmons, and what you've done."

Simmons tensed up at that. _Oh, great.. They all know what we did to Bumblebee. _"--she did, huh?"

"Yes. She also said you were the 'biggest jackass' she's ever met."

"Well, from what I heard a little while ago, I'd say you're trying real hard to take that title away from me, _Daisy_," he retorted.

_Daisy? What in the Pit does that mean? _Pretty sure he wasn't going to like the answer, Sunstreaker opened a link to Jazz. /_Jazz, do you know what a daisy is?/_

/_Yeah...why?/ _he asked, puzzled.

/_I'm just curious about the native vegetation,_/ Sunsteaker said smoothly.

/_Okay.. It's a common flower./ _Jazz sent him a file on the varieties found in Kentucky.

/_You'd know that if you bothered to research this world better._/

/_Thank you.../ Comparing me to something so disgustingly ordinary! _Riled as he closed the link, Sunstreaker deliberately picked up the pace, forcing Agent Simmons to run to keep up.

"Is it...much further?" Simmons gasped, out of breath after a few minutes, but refusing to beg that metalheaded jerk to slow down.

"Approximately four more miles."

"Okay, you know what? Screw this." He stopped, and almost pulled a hamstring, which soured his mood even more. "You wanna run a marathon, be my guest. I'm going back," Simmons said, turning around and limping back the way they'd come.

"No, you're _not_," Sunstreaker snapped back. "Optimus gave us an order, and we're going to follow it."

"Hey, he's your leader, not mine! Besides, if there was anything useful there, Soundwave would've taken it, or destroyed it. This is a waste of time!" Simmons ranted, in a burst of frustrated helplessness. It was like a sick, demented joke. Going through hell the past day, all the death and destruction...only to have the Cube thing snatched from them in a matter of minutes. Now there was nothing to stop those goddamn Decepticons from wiping out everybody!

"Whether it is or not doesn't matter. We will obey Optimus Prime." Sunstreaker growled when Simmons ignored him and kept walking. Distasteful as it was, his only recourse was to pick the human up.

"_**Jesus Christ!!**__" _he hollered, pounding his fists on the back of Sunstreaker's hand. "_What the_ _hell are you doing?! Put me down!! Now!!"_

"Be quiet! And if you dent my armor, I will drop you," Sunstreaker promised.

"You wouldn't dare!" Simmons scoffed, but immediately stopped moving altogether. _Damn, these robots are scary! _He kept his mouth shut the rest of the way to the cave entrance.

Sunstreaker put the irksome man down then and readied his cannon, as a precaution, before going back inside the dark cave. "Stay back, out of the way."

"Fine by me, but a little light would be nice," Simmons grumbled, wishing he'd thought of bringing his lamp. This guy wasn't polite enough to turn on his headlights, like Optimus had. He raised his voice when Sunstreaker ignored his request. "I said a little light would be nice."

"Stop shouting!" Sunstreaker glared at Simmons, turning on one light; he really didn't want to have to carry the puny being again.

"What, you think Soundwave's gonna come back to the scene of the crime?" Simmons snorted. "Like that'll happen."

"No, I just happen to think that humans are better seen, and not heard," Sunstreaker haughtily stated.

"Funny... Real funny. Now you wanna hurry the hell up? Can't spend all day in here."

_Apparently being silent is beyond this human's comprehension,_ Sunstreaker concluded, ignoring him again, and entered the cave. To his relief, Simmons did stop talking, for the most part, as they walked through the tunnel.

"God damnit!" Simmons cursed when they reached the carnage the drones had left behind. _Jesus, those things are vicious, _he thought, revolted, looking around at the dead men's faces...what was left of them, actually. Only one body was still recognizable.

"Friend of yours?" Sunstreaker asked when he crouched down next to one of the humans.

"--more of a long-time acquaintance..." Simmons said, gloomily, scrubbing a hand over his face, then closed Tom's eyes and stood up. "We'd better get a move on. Sector Seven'll have sent people to clean up this mess."

Sunstreaker made a noncommittal noise, not much worried about more humans showing up, and inspected the three crates stacked next to the wall. Ripping the lid off the top one, he jerked in surprise at what was inside. It took a few astro-seconds for him to recognize just whose parts these were. A much-despised -- and now dismantled-- enemy, Barricade. So there is a chance that Soundwave will return, eventually.

"What are you doing?" Simmons asked, coming over when he picked up the top crate, dropped it on the ground, and opened the one under it. _Oh, this is great!_ _They had to bring NBE Four, here, too. That must've really pissed off Soundwave... _

Instead of answering, he looked inside the third and final crate, then armed his cannon. "Get back," Sunstreaker ordered Simmons, intending to make sure there won't be enough left of Barricade for the All Spark to resurrect. It won't make much of a difference in the long run, but at least there'll be one less Decepticon to fight.

"Hey, don't!" Simmons moved back several feet, covering his ears, as the Autobot fired missiles into the crates, destroying their contents. "--I've got a feeling Optimus Prime might not approve of what you just did," he remarked, dropping his hands when Sunstreaker was finished.

"That would be why I'm not planning to tell him," Sunstreaker grimly replied, then fixed his gaze on the human. "Are you?"

Simmons raised his hands. ""He won't hear about it from me," he said, pretty sure that not keeping his mouth shut about this could be be detrimental to his health. This guy was a real mean sonofabitch.

"Wise choice." He went over to the other cave wall, where a pair of computer laptop were set on a table. Both of them had been damaged beyond salvaging. Sunstreaker idly wondered what information Soundwave found on them. "We're going back now," he decided a couple cycles later, after looking around some more. There was nothing else of interest here, besides natural cave formations.

"Yeah, now would be good," Simmons agreed, trying not to stare at all the bodies. They were reminding him of that freaky zombie movie he watched last week. What was the name of that thing? He gave up trying to remember the title when the snooty Autobot walked off, back to the entrance.

/_We're leaving the cave now, Sir,_/ Sunstreaker reported to Optimus. /_There's nothing useful left here./_

/_All right,_/Optimus sighed. /_We'll leave as soon as you've returned._/

/_Yes, Sir._/ He closed the link and, once they were both outside, picked the human up again, so he wouldn't be slowed down. This time Simmons didn't put up a loud fuss.

* * *

"You didn't hunt just for sport back on Cybertron?" Mikaela asked, making half-hearted small talk with Arcee while they all waited for Sunstreaker and Simmons to come back. Prowl stood a short distance away, watching their exchange.

"No. A femme's primary duty was to capture anyone who flouted the laws and bring them to justice," Arcee explained.

"So...you were like a bounty-hunter type?"

Arcee paused briefly to search her data bank for that phrase. "In a way, but we were not given rewards for our captures. We don't have a monetary system, as you do."

Mikaela raised an eyebrow. That was a little hard to imagine...but did make sense. "Sounds like that was dangerous. I mean, I've seen how big those Decepticons are."

"It normally wasn't," Arcee told her. "Sometimes the culprit was an Autobot, but they'd all rarely resisted, or were violent. At least, not until the last vorn or two before the war began." Her optics dulled in memory of those dark times on Cybertron.

"We did not realized what their behavior was escalating into," Prowl added, disappointed at not having recognized the warning signs back then.

"Yeah.. Same thing happens here, actually." Mikaela turned her head when Sunstreaker and Simmons came back out of the woods. Simmons looked kinda shaken up; he made a beeline for his SUV and jumped in, slamming the door closed. _O-kay... _"Well..guess it's time to go now," she said, watching Optimus walk over to Ratchet.

/_Major Lennox has spoken to his superiors, / _Optimus sent to Ratchet over a private line. /_They've asked that we travel to Richmond, the capitol city of Virginia, to discuss possible strategies_./

/_Of course,_/ he responded emotionlessly.

_Primus, this is hard. _Optimus sighed deeply before continuing. /_We--we should turn her body over to the humans/ _he suggested, and was taken aback when Ratchet's head snapped up, optics flashing.

/_**No!**_/ Ratchet angrily refused. Maggie had no immediate family, or relatives she'd been particularly close to, but even if she did... He knew full well the humans' methods in determing the cause of someone's death, and in finding out anything else they might be remotely curious about. He was_ not_ going to let that happen to her.

/_I know how you feel, Ratchet, but we cannot keep her with us,_/ Optimus said, though it was a huge effort to stay calm and logical. /_Especially when we battle the Decepticons./_

He looked back down at Maggie. /_She doesn't like the cold..._/

/_Ratchet... I'm certain that wherever Maggie is now, she's warm, and safe/ _Optimus told him, and hoped with all of his spark that that was true.

Ratchet turned away, holding her close. "--I need some time alone; I'll be back shortly."

Optimus nodded slowly. "Of course. We'll wait for you."

"Thank you." He nodded in return, then wandered aimlessly into the forest. After a few minutes' walking, Ratchet came across a small stream. This is a good enough location, he decided, kneeling down, and began digging with his free hand. He stopped when he judged the hole to be deep enough, and just knelt there, holding Maggie.

After a long moment Ratchet made an effort to shake off his lethargy, forcing his gears to work again, and gently laid her down in the grave. "Goodbye, Maggie..." he said, mournfully, before pushing the mound of dirt over, covering her with it.

He rested his hand on the spot, head bowed, then climbed heavily to his feet. The others were waiting: He had to focus now on whatever plan they come up with to oppose the Decepticons, even if it was futile. Or was it? He forced himself to concentrate on their enemy during his walk back to the others.

Strangely enough, he couldn't sense anything specific they had planned with the All Spark in their posession. What were they waiting for? Were they all arguing over what to do next?

Had Soundwave decided to keep it, and attempt to overthrow Starscream? Does he even still have the Cube? He most likely does. Skywarp would not have been able to take it without a fight, and Soundwave was stronger than the Seeker. So many unanswered questions... _We'll all know soon enough, _Ratchet thought dismally.

/_--are you all right?_/ a concerned Optimus asked when he reached the camp. /_Do you need more time?_/

_"_We should leave now," Ratchet said aloud, ducking the questions. "The Decepticons haven't used the Cube yet, but they won't remain idle for long. It's only a matter of time before they revive Megatron."

"If we can pinpoint the All Spark's exact location quickly, there is a minuscule possibility that we'll able to win it back from the Decepticons before they can substantially increase their ranks," Prowl conjectured.

"Miniscule's better than zero," Jazz said, looking at Optimus. "I say we go for it."

"We gotta try," Sam agreed, looking desperately around at the other Autobots. There was no way he could just sit around, waiting for the world to end.

"Since it is much smaller than the original Cube; it will probably create at a slower rate," Wheeljack added, and took a moment to again open an old link. /_Answer me, Youngling!/ _

Rather disgruntled when he still received no answer, he gave up on trying to send a warning and turned his attention to Mikaela, scanning her. The implants were still functioning properly.

"That would be one thing to our advantage." Optimus turned to Ratchet, reluctant to put more pressure on him.

He shook his head at the attention. "I'll let you know the instant I sense anything specific. _If _I ever do," Ratchet amended, feeling incredibly weary.

"You will," Optimus told him, trusting his medic's abilities.

"We'll keep an eye out for Soundwave, but if he takes the Cube to some other country, like China, we might not find out about it right away," Will cautioned.

"Then until we do know where to find the Cube, we shall go to Richmond as planned," Optimus decided.

"Wh--What about Bee?" Mikaela traced the markings on the side of his head with her fingers, commiting them to memory.

"We should move him into the cave," Ultra Magnus recommended. "We'll return for him later, once we've recovered the All Spark."

_He sounds so sure we'll get it back_, Mikaela thought, awed by the Autobot's unwavering confidence. "Okay." She got up, a bit unsteadily, and moved back. Ultra Magnus gave her a sympathetic nod, and picked Bumblebee up.

"You may ride with me, if you wish to, Mikaela," Optimus offered, a second before Wheeljack would have.

"Yeah, sure.." she answered absently, watching Ultra Magnus carry Bumblebee into the cave, then come back out alone.

Optimus transformed, ordering the others to do the same, and opened the passenger door for Mikaela.

"Thanks." Mikaela gratefully climbed in and put the seat belt on.

"You're welcome, Mikaela." Once she was settled in, he drove off, taking the lead.

Mikaela looked into the side-view mirror, staring fixedly at Mammoth Cave's reflection until it was out of sight.

* * *

"That was faster than I expected," Thunderblast said as Starscream came out of stasis, stretching out his limbs.

"I only recharged as long as absolutely necessary."

_Typically stubborn of you... _"Shall we go find the others, then? They must be nearly finished with Beijing by now."

"They'd better be." He changed to jet form, almost groaning when fresh sparks fell from his damaged wing.

"If they're not, you should punish them for slacking," she advised, finding a handhold.

"I will, after Hook repairs me," he replied, flying off.

_Excellent. _Thunderblast smiled, looking forward to watching him assert his authority, especially if he plans on using force. It took just a few cycles to reach Beijing and find Hook. Two of his fellow Constructicons were with him, standing among what was left of some kind of palace. The Forbidden City, according to the information she'd downloaded on China. Why would the humans call it a city, when it was just a single building? It made no sense to her.

Hook was crouched next to Ramjet, who looked like he was barely online. Which was understandable; he was _not_ in good shape. _What have you done to yourself now? _Thunderblast wondered. His entire right wing was crushed and blackened. At least part of his back must be in dreadful condition, too. One of the other Seekers must have taken pity on the reckless fool, and brought him here to be mended.

The battle with the China army was still going on, surprisingly enough; she could hear explosions in the distance. Starscream hovered over the palace ruins, transforming after she let go and dropped to the ground.

Sixshot was also here, standing near one of the toppled walls, while Ravage paced about in a circle, looking guilty about something. Thunderblast shrugged, uninterested in whatever was bothering the drone.

"What happened?" Starscream asked Sixshot first; he was one of the last Decepticons he'd expected to be injured by the humans.

"A malfunction, nothing more," replied Sixshot, avoiding looking at Ravage. Hook glanced over at him, but said nothing.

"Ramjet had an unfortunate mishap with one of the humans' jets," Long Haul reported.

"Of _course_he did," Starscream said, sardonically. Two fliers out of commission did explain the delay in Beijing's complete destruction.

Ramjet's optics sprang open. "It crashed into me!"

"Isn't that normally your trick?" Thunderblast asked, amused by how deeply offended he sounded.

"Stay still!" Hook glared when Ramjet shifted angrily, muttering something uncomplimentary about humans imitating his maneuvers.

Starscream strode over to the medic. "Repair my wing first, then finish with him," he ordered.

"I've just started mending Ramjet!" Hook objected to being interrupted.

"As leader _I_take precedence over all others," Starscream coldly informed him, remembering that when Megatron had injured enough to need a medic during the war -- which happened only two times -- he had also received aid before everyone else.

"Ramjet's injury is more serious than _yours_." Scrapper snidely answered back.

Starscream growled low and struck the belligerent Constructicon, knocking him to the floor.

"How dare y--" Scrapper's indignation turned to fear when Starscream reached down, grasped his center chest plate in one hand and ripped it away_._ "_**Agghh**__!"_ he howled, flailing in agony.

"How dare I _what_?" Starscream icily demanded, fingers now closing around Scrapper's spark casing. A warning stare convinced Long Haul and Hook to stay out of the 'disagreement'. Thunderblast chuckled, clearly enjoying herself.

He went still then, optics widening in terror as the casing was given a hard, painful tug.

"N-n-nothing..." Scrapper stammered, a hitch in his vocal processor, and let his body go limp in submission.

"Does anyone else intend to defy me again?" Starscream looked around at the others, who avoided his gaze and kept silent. "Good. Now repair my wing, Hook," he said, letting go of Scrapper, after another tug.

Hook nodded so vigorously his head bobbled. "Yes, Lord Starscream."

Thunderblast smiled maliciously at the cowed Decepticons. "Did you actually think Megatron made him Second as a jest?"

"Not at all," Sixshot said, prudently staying out of the conflict, and glanced back at Ravage, who was hiding behind him now. /_He's not interested in harming you,_/ he assured him.

/_--you sure?_/ Ravage asked, his tail twitching with anxiety.

/_Yes, positive,_/ he said testily, and continued waiting for his turn.

Somewhat reassured that he wasn't in danger of being killed, Ravage flopped down on his side next to Sixshot's feet and went into stasis.

/_That was very well done,_/ Thunderblast complimented Starscream on putting them in their place, watching as Hook quickly and efficiently repaired his wing.

/_Thank you._/ He held back a satisfied smile, turning a stern glare on Hook and the others. "Repair Scrapper last, Hook. When he's finished, all of you will recharge for ten breems, ad then go on to the next target. Tokyo, the Japan city."

"Some of Beijing is still intact," Sixshot pointed out, keeping his tone mild.

"It can wait. We'll let the humans here think we're through with them, and come back later," Starscream decided, and sent his orders to the other Decepticons.

/_A trick? That sounds good to me,_/ Skywarp enthusiastically said.

/_And to me/ _Thunderblast agreed. Giving these humans a false sense of hope, then crushing it, is certain to be entertaining.

Ramjet's optics nervously darted from his leader to the sky above them, and back again. "Will you guard us while we recharge, in case the humans attack?"

"Yes, I will," Starscream replied, feeling magnanimous now that everything was finally going his way.

Hook quickly and efficiently continued the repairs. Each patient dropped offline as soon as he was done with them. Scrapper and Long Haul, though, waited to start recharging the same time as him, in a show of camaraderie.

"You don't need to recharge?" Starscream asked when Thunderblast remained online.

She shook her head. "I haven't expended as much energy as they have."

"No, you get others to do that for you," he observed, and moved to a different part of the demolished palace to watch for humans.

"Of course," she said with a short laugh, following him. "I must say, though, that Scavenger and Shortround work well together."

"Is that so?" Starscream asked, surprised by that bit of news. It was hard to believe Scavenger was good at anything.

"Scavenger's proven to be adept at finding underground pipes filled with natural gas," Thunderblast told him.

"Which Shortround ignites with plasma," Starscream deduced, scanning their surroundings, but detecting no threat to them. The entire area was deserted.

"Yes... The result was quite--explosive," she said, sidling over to him.

He glanced down at her. "Explosions are what you seem to enjoy the most."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. There are one or two more things I enjoy more," Thunderblast drawled, and, taking a chance, ran a hand over the much-taller Decepticon's leg.

Her fingers dug into a seam in his armor, just above his knee joint, and a jolt of pleasure through his circuits, tempting him into allowing further contact.

Emboldened when he didn't push her away, Thunderblast slid her hand upward, under his armor. A low rumbling growl from Starscream gave her pause, and she drew back.

He turned his head toward her. "Did I tell you to stop?"

"No, you did not." Swiftly moving to stand in front of him, she slid both hands under the metal plates in his lower midsection, scraping fingers against a group of wires and drawing a hiss from him. She withdrew her hands then and gave him a hard shove, forcing him back a step.

A scowl started to form. "_What_ do you think you're doing?!"

"I do not appreciate being kept waiting!" Thunderblast huffed, hands fisted on her hips.

"Is that so?" Starscream smiled smugly. So being ignored had bothered her far more than she'd let on. His optics glinted with interest.

_This is exactly how he expected me to react, _she realized. Furious at letting herself be manipulated so easily, Thunderblast raised her hand.

Starscream grabbed hold of her arm before she could strike him and yanked her toward him. "As I recall, you don't mind playing _rough_," he smirked, wrapping one hand around her lower body and lifting her up to his level.

_My, my... _Growing aroused now, Thunderblast made a token effort to free herself. "Perhaps," she said coyly, and abruptly leaned forward, smacking her chest into his. "Neither do you, I suspect."

Metal plates clanked against each other, jarring his external sensors. He growled, his grip on her tightening ever so slightly. Thunderblast raised her head and stared challengingly back at him. Starscream responded by using his free hand to pull open her chest plates.

Thunderblast smiled triumphantly and stretched her arms out to wrest apart his plates in return. Those sharp-edged fingers of his brushed the wiring around her spark chamber, and the resulting painful spasm made her shudder with delight. Determined that he be the one to overload first, she grasped a bundle of wires in his right side and tugged, almost hard enough to loosen them.

He let out another, louder, hiss, and skimmed his fingers over a cable, fraying it just a bit. That succeeded in making Thunderblast whimper. Starscream pinched the cable, smiling when she squirmed in his grasp.

_Primus, I will __**not**__ lose this game, _Thunderblast swore, even as a shudder wracked her frame. It'd been a _very _long time since she let anyone take such liberties. She let go of the wires and aimed for the group set next his spark casing.

The moment Starscream felt her reaching further up, he removed his hand from her chest and pulled her away from his own. /_No!_/

_So close!_Frustrated at being denied, Thunderblast glared at him. "Why not?" she demanded. He gave her a cold glare in return, which angered her even more. Why did it always come back to _Him_? "Megatron is dead and gone. _Try _to get that through those rusty processors of yours!"

"I'm sure that if he were still alive, you'd be trying to get at his spark instead!" he accused, his anger flaring up at the insult.

"_No_, I would_ not_. I would not have any real interest in getting this close to him. Or to anyone else, for that matter," Thunderblast heatedly replied, then almost snarled at the too-revealing slip. _"Why_ do you have to be so slagging _difficult_?!"

"Would you two just join sparks already and be done with it?"

Starscream whirled around, dropping Thunderblast, who landed nimbly on her feet. They both stared at Ramjet. He was standing in what used to be a doorway, a thoroughly exasperated expression on his face.

"You know you want to," he finished, giving them a look-over and shaking his head.

"--You're online..." Thunderblast managed, aghast at being caught with her chest armor open and spark exposed to plain view. Primus, this was quite possibly the most humiliating moment she's ever had to endure! She had a tremendous urge to use her cannon on someone, namely Ramjet, and would have, if she thought she could get away with it.

"The others?" Starscream sharply asked, not bothering to close his armor plates, while Thunderblast fumbled with her own. /_Stop._/

"They're still recharging. I'd begun a few breems before them." Ramjet explained. "I'm going to find Skywarp, maybe shoot down more human jets."

Thunderblast blinked, startled. _Maybe this hasn't turned into a complete disaster after all... _/_Is that an order, Lord Starscream?_/ she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

/_It is._/ "You do that, then," Starscream told Ramjet. "I'm sure you're aware of the value of discretion.."

"Yes." Ramjet shrugged -- he really didn't care who his leader kept company with -- then transformed and left them alone.

Thunderblast tried to assess Starscream's mood. "May I go now?"

"Not yet," he told her, thoughtfully speculating on what she'd said moments ago. He was reasonably sure it was a lie, but... There was one way to find out for certain. While often moronic, Ramjet was actually right about one thing. _Not that I'll ever admit it, especially to __**her**__. I must stay in control._

Impatiently tapping her fingers on her arms, Thunderblast flinched a little when he suddenly picked her up again. _Well, I certainly wasn't expecting this. _She tamped down on the simmering anger and put a huge effort into sounding nonchalant, "Hmm... Where were we, before we were so _rudely_ interrupted?"

"Right here," he replied smoothly, lifting her higher to press her chest against his.

Thunderblast went rigid when their sparks merged, surprised by his action, and dug her fingers into his arms, gouging the metal when he forcefully accessed recent memories. _No doubt to find_ _out if I'm plotting against him_, she deduced, infuriated. _This distrust of his is really becoming extremely tiresome._She retaliated by opening a private link to Starscream and bombarding him with a surge of ire.

He withdrew somewhat at the stinging sensation in his processors. _Perhaps I was a little overbearing, _Starscream grudgingly admitted, and continued more subtly.

_--that's better, _Thunderblast thought, barely mollified by the concession. Now he knew about Thundercracker's weakness, and how she planned to use it against him. Well, it was hardly _that_ important a secret she'd kept from him. _Speaking of secrets, just what might you be hiding? _

She took advantage of the temporary lull to stealthily pry into his memories, but sought out some of the earliest ones -- from the time before the war, and therefore did not involve Megatron -- in the hope that Starscream would feel less threatened. It worked, up to a point; he let her browse for a few astro-seconds before pulling back, separating their sparks. What she was able to access was interesting, and will have to be reviewed in depth later.

He glowered as he set her down on the floor. "Must you keep trying to meddle?"

Almost smiling at the noticeable lack of genuine anger in his voice, she nonchalantly pulled closed her chest plates. "Of course. It's my nature, after all."

Starscream made a disgruntled sound; he had to give her credit for being honest about her penchant for duplicity. "So Thundercracker's sympathetic to humans," he scornfully remarked.

"He's a weak fool. You're not seriously planning to make him your Second-in-Command, are you?"

"I was considering Sixshot," Starscream began, rethinking his strategy in that matter, "but I've decided to choose someone else."

"Really? Who?" she asked, curious. The other Seekers were clearly inadequate. Scrapper?Surely he wasn't going to choose the recalcitrant leader of the Constructicons.

"You."

Thunderblast stared at him, struck speechless for a moment. "_What_ did you just say?"

"I said I've chosen you to be my Second; you've shown the most loyalty, so far," he said indulgently.

"--I see..." She shook her head slightly, confounded by this turn of events, and wondered what his real motive was.

Starscream frowned at her tepid response. "You intend to refuse?"

"I didn't say that." Thunderblast quickly gathered her wits, suspecting that his primary reason for this was to keep a closer watch on her. The duties of being Second would severely curtail the freedom she'd enjoyed until now. Still...there were a few Decepticons she had grudges against, and would enjoy the opportunity to order them about. "Yes, I'll accept your offer."

"I thought you would," he answered, satisfied.

"Undoubtably.." she said dryly. "As I said, I will accept, but not yet."

"Not yet?" Starscream repeated. What was she up to now?

Thunderblast nodded. "Not until I've rid you of Shockwave. Wait until he's dead before telling the other Decepticons."

He nodded; that was an easy enough condition to agree to. "All right."

"Thank you." She started to say more when they were both contacted by Ramjet.

/_I __**do**__ hope I'm not interrupting again._/

Thunderblast bristled at his snide tone, and vowed to pay him back, somehow.

/_Lord Starscream, a group of China military humans is approaching your location from all directions,_/ Ramjet continued. /_There are ten tanks, and other types of battle vehicles./_

/_The other Seekers are recharging now?_/ asked Starscream.

/_Dirge and Thundercracker are, and so is Shockwave, as you commanded. Skywarp, however, insisted that he doesn't need to,_/ Ramjet told him, vexed by his fellow Seeker's obstinance.

/_If that fool offlines during the next battle, he will be left behind,_/ he warned, irritated.

/_I'll tell him that,_/ Ramjet said, and sounded like he'd been laughing at that propect. /_Do you need help with the humans, Lord Starscream?_/

/_No. Just keep watch for more of their jets._/

/_Yes, Sir,_/ Ramjet answered just before the link was closed.

"While you're dealing with those humans, I think I shall recharge," Thunderblast decided, noticing that her energy level was starting to lag now.

"Yes, you should," Starscream said, a smug expression on his face.

_Conceited... _she thought, amused, as she watched him transform and fly off, then leaned back against a mostly-intact pillar and slipped into stasis.


	18. Chapter 18

_A.N.: Contains character death_

* * *

_At last_! Optimus thought, finally establishing a video conference with Defense Secretary Keller via hacking into Simmons' laptop computer.

"What the blazes is going on?" Keller asked, very upset, not to mention _very _frightened, by the Decepticon attacks. "One of my aides told me that you're in Kentucky of all places! Is that true?"

"Yes, it is. Are you well?" he asked, concerned by older human male's exhausted appearance.

"We've been pretty swamped here, since this war began," Keller told him. "It didn't help those Decepticons took out two of the East Coast's main power grids, and a few towers, before they headed to China. Apparently one of them is also responsible for the explosion that destroyed the Taj Mahal in India."

"Christ..." Mikaela muttered, awake now after briefly dozing. "Are they still in China?"

"As far as we know, yes. The Chinese haven't been too keen on sharing information," he said, frustrated at the stonewalling. "Now, Optimus Prime, you mind briefing me on just what you and your people are up to?"

The man's face turned blotchy with anger as Optimus began relating the events of the past twenty-four hours to him.

"Now wait just one minute!" Keller interrupted. "Are you telling me there's a second All Spark?"

Mikaela closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, listening to their conversation.

"I am. Agent Simmons guided us to Mammoth Cave, where it had been kept hidden," explained Optimus.

"And you have this new All Spark with you now?"

"No... Unfortunately, it was taken from us by the Decepticon, Soundwave," he answered, deciding not to go into painful detail about that disaster.

"Good Lord..." The pen Keller had been holding slipped from his fingers, falling to the desk with a clatter. "Mr. Simmons should have informed us, so the Cube could have been moved somewhere else!" he stated, his expression hardening.

_Moved to another secret location, where we might never have found it, _a small, cynical part of Optimus thought. "--I'm certain Simmons acted in a manner he believed...appropriate," he said, choosing his words carefully.

"What he believed is irrelevant; Simmons disobeyed direct orders. With them having the Cube now, our options are even more limited. We don't dare try to use nuclear weapons against them now." Keller paused then as an aide leaned down to tell him something in a hushed whisper.

"What? So soon? This is just perfect..." he muttered, waved the man away, and turned back to the Autobot leader. "All right.. Optimus Prime, you should know that there's a couple stragglers coming our way. We won't know if they're friendly or hostile until they land, which will be in about four minutes now," Keller said, pressing buttons on a keyboard.

"Two stragglers?" Optimus repeated, surprised, receiving coordinates to the newcomers' anticipated landing site in a file transfer. It wasn't far from Kearney, Nebraska, which was a promising sign. /_Broadside, go find out who they are_./

/_Right away, Sir_./ Broadside swung around and flew off towards the West at top speed.

"Thank you, Secretary Keller."

"You're welcome." Keller looked toward his right. "I have to go now; another meeting's been called."

"All right. Barring any delays, we'll reach Richmond in less than two hours," Optimus informed him.

"Good. I'll see you then, Optimus Prime," he said, getting up. "We can discuss a new strategy in person."

"Yes.. Goodbye, Secretary Keller." He closed the connection, deep in thought. Who could this late arrival be?

"There's gotta be a way to stop those bastards," Mikaela said, as much to herself as to Optimus. "There just _has _to be."

"I hope so," he quietly said, trying to think of something even remotely inspiring to say to her, which was difficult to do under such dismal circumstances, when he heard a car horn. It sounded like Jazz's. One of the vehicles behind him, Simmons' SUV, had suddenly slowed down. It drifted off the road and into a stand of trees. Optimus immediately braked hard, as had the other Autobots, who'd swerved to avoid a collision.

"What is it?" Mikaela sat up straight. "Optimus?"

"Simmons drove off the road and into a tree."

"Oh, you're kidding!"

"I'm afraid not, Mikaela." He made a U-turn and drove back to where everyone else had gathered. "What happened?" Optimus asked, scanning the SUV. All four tires were intact. The front of it, however, had been smashed against a tree, and the airbag deployed.

"Agent Simmons is unconscious," Ratchet told him, transforming to robotic mode.

"Think he fell asleep at the wheel." Jazz let Sam out, then he, Sunstreaker and Prowl also transformed. The rest of the Autobots pulled over onto the side of the road, partially concealing them from any civilians that might drive by.

"That's just great..." Sam ran a hand over his face, then looked up at Jazz, abashed. "Sorry I pounded on your horn."

"No prob', Sam," Jazz said easily, though it had smarted a bit. He jabbed the airbag with one finger, deflating it, and Ratchet carefully extracted Simmons from the vehicle.

"What is his condition, Ratchet?" asked Prowl, concerned over a lengthy delay.

"He has a laceration and contusion to the right temple, and more contusions to his sternum," Ratchet answered, scanning the man.

"You can repair him?" Mirage asked, also anxious to get back on the road.

"Yes," Ratchet said, hesitating. In order to do so he would have to use his holoform. The holoform he'd primarily created for _her_. He shook off that line of thought, and focused on his patient. Simmons came to as Ratchet was about to place him on the ground.

"What the _hell_!!_" _Simmons yelled, finding himself once again in the grip of a giant robot.

_Oh.. It's their medic, _he belatedly realized. _Wait a sec...How'd I end up here?_

"Calm down, please," Optimus said, puzzled by his overwrought reaction.

"I will, soon as _he_ puts me down!" Simmons answered, looking over at the Autobot leader, and saw his wrecked SUV. "What the hell did you people do to my car?!"

"You dropped offline, which caused your vehicle to stray off the roadway and strike a tree," Ultra Magnus informed him, perturbed by the accusation.

"I--what?!" Simmons gawked, his face flushing with embarrassment.

"Ya zonked out," Jazz confirmed.

Ratchet set the man on his feet. "If you required sleep, you should have let us know, and not insist on trying to continue driving yourself," he reproached Simmons, then finally activated his holoform. "Would you please remove your upper garments?"

"Would I--what?!" He took a step back from the big robot, then felt dizzy all of a sudden and fell over onto his rear. _Damn, my head hurts... _He reached a hand up to rub the spot. His chest hurt, too, for that matter.

"Try not to touch the wound on your forehead," Ratchet instructed him. "Now, remove your jacket and shirt so I can properly treat your other injuries as well."

"He's shy," Sam said with a faint snort when Simmons just sat there, gaping like a fish.

Optimus opened the passenger door for Mikaela and she jumped out, carrying the tote bag Maggie had left behind. "I bet he hates women, too," she guessed, remembering how nasty Simmons behaved when she first met him.

"Think his prom date dumped him for some football player?" Sam asked, half-jokingly; he just couldn't pass up a chance to heckle Simmons, either.

"Do _no_ go there, young man," Simmons said through gritted teeth, glowering at the two of them as he got back up.

Optimus changed to robotic mode and moved closer to Sam and Mikaela, concerned by their behavior. Humans did have a tendency to become angry and lash out when under duress.

"Ya know, now that you mention it, there's a year missin' in the records I'd downloaded on him. Between the eleventh and twelfth grades of high school," Jazz said, curious over the gap. "What was that all about, Simmons?"

Simmons blanched, then his face turned dark with suppressed anger. _That snoop! _"None of your damn business, that's what it's about!" he retorted, defensively.

_Ok, that''s a totally sore subject with him. _Mikaela glanced up at Optimus Prime, who shook his head ever so slightly. _Uh-oh..._ _We'd better quit, if it's gonna upset Optimus. _She bit her bottom lip and, despite her personal dislike of the man, gave Optimus a tiny nod in acknowledgement. Turning toward Sam and Jazz, she got their attention and looked meaningfully at their leader, then walked over to Ratchet. "Ratchet? Here's the medical supplies," she said, holding the tote bag up.

He stared at the bag for a few seconds, optics blinking a couple times, before his holoform took it from her. "--thank you, Mikaela."

"You're welcome." She rested a hand on his forearm in sympathy for a moment, then stepped back.

/_I'm on my way back now,_/ Broadside informed his fellow Autobots. /_Huffer and Warpath are with me_./

"Huffer?" a surprised Jazz blurted out, both over the link and aloud in English. "And Warpath?! You're kidding' me!"

"I thought he'd been killed!" Sideswipe exclaimed.

"God, no..." Mikaela paled, misinterpreting their reactions. "Not more of those monsters!"

"They're on our side, 'kaela," Jazz answered.

"Hold on a sec..." Sam said, bewildered. "One of 'em's called _Warpath!_? Are you _sure_ he's not a Decepticon?"

"They are both Autobots, Sam," Optimus assured him, thinking of the implications. Two more Autobots would not much better the odds of defeating the Decepticons, but... How many more 'stragglers' are out there, roaming the galaxy. Might they be on their way here as well? It didn't seem likely.

"O-kay..." _Huffer? _That gave Sam such wacky mental images! Some of these Autobot names did _not_ translate well into English.

"What do you think they've been doing the past thousand vorns?" Ultra Magnus asked, puzzled by that pair's long absence from their ranks.

"They'll tell us where they've been once they gets here," Ratchet said, offhandedly, pulling the blue bottle out of the bag and frowning at his uncooperative patient. "Simmons?"

Simmons noticed the bottle and balked again. "Hell, no! You're not putting that alien goop on me!"

"--the ingredients are mainly botanical, native to this world," Ratchet impatiently explained.

"Mainly??"

"Just be quiet and let Ratchet repair you," Sunstreaker ordered the aggravating human.

"...fine..." Simmons clamped his mouth shut and yanked off his jacket, tearing a shoulder seam in the process. _Why am I even still with these guys? I oughtta sneak down into Mexico, or, better yet, South America. --where I won't know what the hell's going on, until some Decepticons show up to blow everything to kingdom come. That 'ignorance is bliss' saying's a crock. Ok, so running off's not an option, but I'm sure the hell not gonna beg for a ride. I'll just wait and see if any of them offers. If they don't, well, then, it's adios and good luck. _

/_Whoa. How'd you do that?_/ Jazz asked, impressed with the fast results.

/_We just have to be firm with these humans. Show them who's in charge_./ Sunstreaker smugly replied.

/_Uh-huh...Sure..._/ Jazz turned away and rolled his optics; he could just imagine Sam's reaction to that absurdly arrogant statement. Not to mention Mikaela, or-- _Damn. _His amusement rapidly faded as he was reminded of the friends he'd lost.

"That stuff works pretty fast, Simmons," Will put in, carefully flexing his arm.

"...whatever..." he mumbled, before shutting up again.

Ratchet glanced from Simmons to Sunstreaker, then shrugged, disinterested, and turned back to his now-silent patient, applying salve and bandaging the injuries while they all waited for Broadside to return with his two passengers.

* * *

Frenzy jumped down to the ground, his head drooping in sorrow. "Laserbeak's dead?!"

"Yes. One of the humans killed him." Soundwave studied Laserbeak's condition. His spark casing was badly damaged, as were the majority of his systems.

"Humans!" Frenzy hissed savagely.

"They will pay for it, in time." Soundwave declared. Primus willing, there was still enough of Laserbeak for the All Spark to successfully regenerate.

Ratbat, Buzzsaw and Frenzy crouched around Laserbeak, watching avidly as Soundwave withdrew the Cube from under his armor. He knelt down and placed the All Spark next to Laserbeak's body. As he anticipated, streaks of blue energy arced out from the Cube, streaking across Laserbeak, then dissipated, leaving his friend fully restored. Laserbeak twitched, weakly, then his optics opened as he came online. With a thin shriek he struggled upright, wings flailing.

"Stop!" Soundwave was quick to snatch him up. _I should have realized what the last thing he remembers would be.. _"You are safe now."

"Where are the humans?" Confused, Laserbeak peered around, registering his new surroundings. "Where are we? Soundwave?"

"We're in a forest in Missouri, far from the Autobots and their humans," Soundwave told him.

"Laserbeak all right?" Frenzy climbed back up to Soundwave's shoulder for a better look at his friend.

"Frenzy!" Laserbeak hurled himself out of Soundwave's hands at Frenzy.

Soundwave grunted as Frenzy's hands and feet dug into his thick armor, puncturing it. Despite his effort to brace himself, Frenzy lost his hold and tumbled over backwards when Laserbeak literally pounced him. "_Try _to be careful," he chided, watching their antics with amused tolerance as he retrieved All Spark.

Buzzsaw and Ratbat had scampered over to them, and all four were clustered together, chattering away about their adventures on this world. Ratbat gloated over having killed the most humans, or 'insects', as Frenzy preferred to call them.

Frenzy hissed at him in jealousy, then looked around. "Where is Ravage? Where is Rumble?" he asked, and grew uneasy when three pairs of wings sagged. "Where?!"

"Rumble is dead; killed by one of the Autobots' humans," Soundwave answered. "Ravage--"

"_Dead?_" Frenzy interrupted, his small frame vibrating with rage. "Humans must die! We kill them all, Soundwave!"

"Yes, yes, Frenzy. They will be punished, in time," he assured him, then continued.

"Ravage is currently being held captive by that thieving Decepticon, Sixshot."

_"Sixshot?_" Frenzy's optics blinked several times at the astonishing news. "Megatron _le_t him?"

"Megatron is--dead. How he died is a mystery, though." Soundwave looked down at the Cube in his hand. "Starscream is our new leader."

"Megatron _dead_? _**No**_!" Frenzy howled, refusing to believe it. "_Can't be! Can't be_!"

"It is true, unfortunately," Soundwave briskly said, tucking the All Spark away under his armor again. "The humans disposed of his remains in the Atlantic Ocean, in an area called the Laurentian Abyss."

"What do we do now?" asked Laserbeak, in a forlorn voice.

Soundwave took a moment to ponder that question. There was only one Decepticon he felt he could trust enough to turn to for help in opposing Starscream. He opened a private link.

* * *

Tokyo was larger than the two China cities, which was making it a bit difficult in tracking someone down_. I know you're here somewhere_... Thunderblast thought, looking for Thundercracker.

Two of his fellow Seekers, Skywarp and Ramjet, flew by overhead, firing at the tall buildings. They seemed far less exuberant in their task now than they did in the Los Angeles city. The majority of the skyscrapers they struck were still standing.

_Starscream will not be pleased with their laziness, _she predicted, deciding to tell him after finding Thundercracker. And Shockwave. Both of them had to be located, if her plan was to work. She reflected on what she'd glimpsed of Starscream's memories earlier. So, before the war began he'd been a scientist. That explained much.

After military strategists, scientists had been the most highly sought after by Megatron, and he'd been intent on persuading all of them into joining him. Thunderblast had captured more than one herself, and brought them to the former Lord High Protector. Of course, his idea of persuasion involved the use of torture.

Many of the scientists refused, choosing death instead of recruitment, which had, of course, enraged Megatron everytime. That one never did like being told 'no'. It certainly hadn't been a surprise to her, though; scientists typically possessed the most powerful processors of all Cybertronians, and were fairly impossible to break. She wondered what convinced Starscream to follow Megatron.

What she found even more puzzling, however, were the gaps in his memories. Numerous sections had been deleted; specifically those of whomever his mentor had been. He must have been the one to teach Starscream that little self-defense trick, Thunderblast concluded. Did he also erase those memories when he realized he was about to lost his protege? Or had Starscream taken the initiative and done that himself before joining Megatron, to protect his identity? Her new leader did not strike her as ever having been naive. That, of course, would have enraged Megatron.

What did become of Starscream's mentor? Had Megatron eventually found and killed him? Intrigued, she _very_ much wanted to find out. _Perhaps I'll have an opportunity to scan his memories again soon. _There was always the chance something was missed, which could provide a clue to the mystery scientist's designation.

Tiring of searching for Shockwave and Thundercracker, Thunderblast strolled through a thus-far untouched part of the city, looking for a suitable pawn. There... A shallow swimming pool, filled with very young humans, situated right behind a very large hotel. She walked over to it, disregarding the fence in her way, as well as the screaming of from the adult humans gathered about, and plucked one of the smallest of the children from the pool, a female.

/_Thundercracker!_/ /_Shockwave!_/ she sent to them over separate links, watching the adults scramble to grab the other children from the pool and flee. /_I need to see you in person. Now._/

/_I am busy,_/ replied Thundercracker.

/_Now? What is so important that it must be now?_/ Shockwave asked, sounding vaguely perturbed.

/_I cannot tell you over this link. It is urgent, though. You'll find out when you get here, Shockwave. _/ Thunderblast sent both of them directions to the hotel. /_From what I recall, I'd say that you haven't been very busy at all since we came to Earth, Thundercracker. I would not want Starscream to learn of it, if I were you. Do try to hurry,_/ she requested in a feigned cheerful tone.

/_...I'm on my way,_/ he said, with ill-concealed resentment.

/_Very well,_/ Shockwave finally agreed. /_I will be there momentarily._/

/_Excellent._/ She smiled, then glanced down at the human girl in her hand. That was such an annoyingly shrill noise it was making. She was tempted to toss it away, but doubted that the others would be quieter. Two older humans were a short distance away, on their knees with their hands outstretched, crying and apparently pleading for her to release their offspring. Thunderblast ignored them.

Three cycles later Shockwave and Thundercracker arrived at virtually the same time, from opposite directions. "Well, you both took your time, didn't you?" Thunderblast complained, even though she hadn't had long to wait.

"What do you need to tell me?" Shockwave sternly asked, while Thundercracker angrily crossed his arms.

"I'm reasonably certain that Lord Starscream will soon name his Second-In-Command," Thunderblast replied, her own voice turning frosty for a moment.

"He should select the most experienced of us," Shockwave stated. "That is the logical solution."

"Of course," Thunderblast murmured, holding back a laugh as she imagined Thundercracker's reaction to the news later. "I just happened to come across this little gathering place, and found this." She opened her hand, exhibiting the girl to them.

"How--fascinating," Thundercracker said, his optics glowing brighter with anger.

Shockwave spared one glance at the human, then looked back up. "That is all you have to tell us?" he asked, slightly displeased; he'd been in the process of tearing down a tall cellular phone tower when she contacted him.

"I assumed you would be more interested in this. Here." She bounced the girl in her hand, then casually tossed it to Shockwave.

_Curse them both to the Pit! _Thundercracker tensed, taking a couple steps toward them. Luckily for this human, Shockwave was standing closer to Thunderblast this time, and easily caught the girl. She was bound to have some bruises from the rough landing, but no serious injuries.

Shockwave looked down at the tiny creature, then back at Thunderblast, trying to discern the reason for her strange actions. Someone attempted to open a link to him then. It was Soundwave, strangely enough, and he allowed it.

/_Shockwave._/

/_Soundwave. Why are you contacting me?_/

/_I've recovered something of great value, and I'd rather not risk Starscream finding out./ _

"What are you waiting for?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips, and surreptiously watching Thundercracker as he started moving towards Shockwave. He looked ready to attack Shockwave any astro-second now; his hands were twitching reflexively, as if he was about to use his cannons. "Well? Kill it, Shockwave."

/_What are you talking about, Soundwave?_/

Shockwave fixed his single optic on her. "This is hardly a dangerous advesary, and you do not have the authority to issue orders to me."

/_You would not believe it unless you see it for yourself. That is why you must come here. Trust me/_ Soundwave coaxed.

"_What?_" Her arms dropping to her sides, Thunderblast stared at Shockwave, baffled by his refusal. "You had no qualms about killing Autobot younglings, did you?"

Thundercracker halted in his tracks, watching their exchange intently.

"Megatron never required that from me," he coldly responded, disinclined to enter into a debate over what few ethics he had in his programming with the likes of her. If that deserter was wasting his time, as Thunderblast just did, he would be punished severely for it.

/_I do not trust you, but send me your coordinates and I shall go there directly_./

"That may be...but Lord Starscream's orders were that all humans be exterminated," Thunderblast reminded him.

/_Thank you,_/ Soundwave replied, sounding vexed by his suspicions, but sent him directions before cutting the link.

"If Starscream wished to slay infant humans, that is his choice," Shockwave stated impassively, glancing once more at the puny one in his hand. It was curled up in a ball, whimpering and shaking. He lowered his arm and leaned down to place it back in the pool. "I have more important matters to attend to right now."

"But...you..." Thunderblast trailed off as he moved back several paces, then changed to the new, and faster, bomber plane form he'd scanned in Beijing.

The small human has sunk like a rock, too frightened to even attempt to swim. While _she_ was preoccupied, Thundercracker scooped the girl out. He spotted two adults who'd lingered instead of running away. _They must be this one's of the pool parents_. The pair was cringing behind a shade tree, staring at him and the other two Decepticons in terror. He set the girl down near them, then turned back to Thunderblast.

_I may not have the authority yet, but I will. _Thunderblast glared venomously at Shockwave as he flew away, infuriated by her miscalculation, and more determined than ever to see him dead.

"Well, it seems whatever you had planned has failed spectacularly," Thundercracker taunted her, emboldened by the outcome.

"Don't be so sure!" she snapped back and pivoted around, looking for something to vent her wrath on. "Where is that human?"

"I don't know," Thundercracker claimed, shrugging. "She must have crawled out of the water and escaped."

"Of _course_ it did." Thunderblast flicked a glance at his right hand, glistening wet in the sunlight. "How fortunate for it..."

"Yes, I suppose it is, isn't it?" He smirked at her angry expression, then transformed as well. "Like Shockwave, I have more important things to do than stand about and talk with _you,_'' Thundercracker said, getting in a final insult before taking off, leaving Thunderblast seething next to the empty pool.

* * *

"You're telling us that the Decepticons have the All Spark, and the entire galaxy is now doomed," Huffer said, morosely. "Why am I not surprised?

He sounded so hopeless, Mikaela felt tears welling up, and rubbed at her eyes. "It's not o-over yet," she said, a small hitch in her own voice.

"We will make every effort to recover the All Spark, once we learn it's location," Optimus firmly added.

"But we won't. The Cube is lost forever." With that dire prediction, Huffer dropped to the back of the line of Autobots. He really wanted to be alone for awhile, as much as he could be, following the others down the highway.

"--is Huffer always like this, Jazz?" Sam asked, feeling pretty down, now, too.

"Sometimes, yeah." Jazz's holoform nodded, looking none-too-happy, either. "He'll get over it..."

_Sure hope so... _Sam thought. He'd spent the last ten or so minutes listening to the Autobots do some catching up. Warpath sure had an--interesting way of telling stories.

Some of it sounded like plain old gossip, and brought a small smile to his face.

As soon as Broadside had returned with Huffer and Warpath, Optimus ordered everyone to roll out, and he hadn't been able to say much more than 'Hi' to the newbies. There was a little snag in getting back on the road, though.

Warpath had scanned a tank as his alternate mode. Not only would he not be able to keep up, but he was sure to freak out other drivers on the highway. It was Prowl who searched the internet and came up with another form that would fit Warpath's size: A black H2 Hummer Limousine. It was practically as big as a bus. Sam looked out the back window at Warpath again. _I would so love to ride in that, at least once._

To Sam's surprise, and most everyone else's, Wheeljack had offered to let Simmons ride with him; his SUV had been abandoned, since it would have taken hours to repair it. Jazz had told Sam that Wheeljack was curious about the various tests Sector Seven had conducted on Megatron, and was cajoling Simmons into telling him about them in detail.

"--you actually rescued a Decepticon on some ice planet??" Mikaela seriously wondered if Warpath was infected with a virus.

"We sure did!" Warpath said with unabashed pride.

"We were searching that solar system for the All Spark," Huffer explained, "and had no idea the distress beacon was from a Decepticon. If we had..."

"Skyfire was grateful we saved him! He'd been stuck there Primus knows how many vorns," Warpath continued. "He even helped us when Bombshell showed up and attacked."

"Bombshell?" Arcee repeated, a strong distaste evident in her tone. "He's still alive?"

"Not anymore! He'd captured Hound, and was going to implant a cerebro-shell. Skyfire didn't like that, and--" BOOM "--took Bombshell out with his cannon."

Mikaela nearly jumped out of her seat when Warpath punctuated his tale with the perfect imitation of an explosion. That seemed to be a habit of his. She grumbled under her breath and rubbed her shoulder. That seatbelt was so gonna leave a mark.

"Are you all right, Mikaela?" asked Optimus.

"Yeah. I just wish he'd stop doing that. Making those sound effects," she said, turning to address the steering wheel, since he wasn't using his holoform. "It kinda creeps me out."

"He can be overly enthusiastic at times," Optimus said, apologetically. "Shall I close my end of the connection?"

Mikaela shook her head. "No, that's okay.. I'd like to hear more."

"All right. Warpath, where are Hound and Skyfire now?"

"Probably on the other end of the galaxy, still searching for the All Spark," he guessed, then went on, "They've probably merged sparks by now. Maybe even bonded!"

That declaration drew surprised exclaimations from the other Autobots.

"It's far more likely that they're both dead," was Huffer's dour opinion.

"Don't say that!" Warpath objected.

"Don't be naive. You know it's highly probable!"

"Hold on, did he say 'bonded'? Mikaela asked; that's the first she's heard about it. "What's that about?"

"It is difficult to describe in words. A bond was a powerful connection that formed when we were fortunate enough to join with one that was meant to be a life-long companion," Optimus explained, lowering the volume of the link with Warpath and Huffer when they continued quarreling. "It was something that we'd typically sensed beforehand, deep in our sparks. Through a bond we were able to share our thoughts and feelings, even over great distances."

"You _were_?" Mikaela questioned his use of past tense wording.

"Bondings had been a rare occurance, and once the war began..." Optimus shook his head, privately doubting the existance of one between Hound and Skyfire.

He sounded so depressed by the loss. _A life-long companion._ Mikaela bit her bottom lip, thinking of the promise Bee had made to her. Before that evil monster ripped him apart. Literally. _Oh, Bee... _There was no way she could keep the tears from falling now.

"Mikaela?"

"Excuse me. " She unhooked her seat belt and went to the back of the truck to try compose herself.

_Thinking of Bumblebee... _He watched Mikaela sit down on the edge of the bed, hunching over as she sobbed quietly. After a moment's hesitation Optimus activated his holoform and sat it down next to her, politely keeping a six inch space between them.

Mikaela jerked her head up, startled, and turned toward him. This was the first time she's set eyes on Optimus holoform. Tall, dark-haired, around thirty-five, she guessed. He was dressed all in black, the traditional color for mourning. "Sorry.. I was just thinking about Bee..."

"I know," he said, laying a hand on her shoulder in comfort as he reflected on the few precious hours he'd spent with Maggie. This was clearly not the ideal moment to make any sort of admission regarding his own feelings. Would there ever be one, under the circumstances?

"God, I miss him so much! Yesterday Bee told me that once you had the Cube, he was going to stay with me, on Earth_._"_ My God, am I wallowing in self-pity or what? _She straightened up, wiping away tears.

"No, but that does not surprise me," Optimus told her, a trace of sadness in his voice. "Bumblebee certainly never hid the fact that he loves you, Mikaela." _'You should tell Sam and Mikaela how you feel. They just might surprise you,'_ Maggie had urged. _Once we reach Richmond, I probably will not have another chance to,_ he thought, coming to a decision. At the very least it would let Mikaela know that she did not have to bear her grief alone. "--as I have."

_Optimus must think I'm so whiny, and--Wait, what?! _Mikaela stared at him, her eyes going round with shock. _Did he just say what I think he said? No way. My mind's gotta be playing tricks on me. But...why is he looking at me weird like that, then? "_Uhh_."_ She coughed to clear her throat. "Could you repeat that?"

Optimus was indeed surprised by Mikaela's reaction: He had feared that it would upset or even anger her. Instead she looked...horrified?? "Mikaela--" Optimus began, trying to think of something to say that might spare them both further embarrassment.

"Optimus, we have a problem. Grapple is malfunctioning," Ultra Magnus spoke up, as he and the other Autobots slowed down to stop.

"Malfunctioning in what way?" Optimus asked as he also braked. Grapple hadn't appeared damaged. _I should have asked Ratchet to run a thorough diagnostic on each of them, to be certain._

"I do not know. He says his 'engine' is making an odd rattling noise."

"That doesn't sound good.." Mikaela said, grateful for the timely interruption. She really had no idea what to say to Optimus. _I must have misunderstood him, that's all. "_Would he mind if I took a look?"

"No, he doesn't mind," Optimus replied, after consulting Grapple. "Hoist is a skilled medic. I'm sure he and Ratchet would appreciate your assistance."

"Okay, thanks." She jumped out when he opened the door for her. _Better just pretend he didn't say that. If he doesn't mention it again, neither will I, _Mikaela decided. She went down the line of Autobot vehicles to Grapple; his alt form was the front of a large truck, like Optimus. It was a little bigger, though, and the green paint was faded.

_I've upset her very much, _Optimus concluded, observing the tenseness in her body as she walked away, and resolving to apologize once all are safely back on the road again. Turning off his holoform, he transformed and walked over to Grapple.

"So what's the problem?" Hoist and Ratchet had also changed to robotic mode, too, and were inspecting Grapple. Mikaela slipped between them, rising to her tiptoes to get a look at Grapple's engine. "_Good grief!_"

"What's wrong with him?" Sam asked, poking his head out the open passenger window.

"--I'm not certain how to repair this," Hoist told the female human.

"Me, either." Mikaela took another look at Grapple. _What a mess! Don't think the whole engine can just be taken out, like with a regular truck._ "Where did you land, anyway? In a junkyard?"

Sideswipe grasped her meaning first. "Are you saying that Grapple copied a broken-down truck?"

"Just about," Mikaela said, patting Grapple's front tire when he made a distressed sound. "I'm surprised he made it this far."

"His self-repair system has been keeping him functional, but it's become strained as a result." Ratchet sighed as he completed the scan. "This will take some time."

"I've never heard of an Autobot damaging himself just by choosing an alternate form," Sunstreaker declared, before he and Sideswipe starting laughing.

"Oh, man..." Sam ducked his head back inside and Jazz rolled the window up, cutting off the sound of his laughter.

"Shut up, you two..." Grapple grumbled at the twins. "Anyone could have made the same mistake."

"I disagree," Prowl said. "The majority of us would have been much more careful in selecting our disguises."

"Prowl, help Grapple choose a new form," Optimus ordered.

"Yes, Sir." Prowl began searching the World Wide Web for a suitable vehicle.

"That will be quicker than trying to repair him," Ratchet concurred, stepping back from Grapple, then stiffened and looked up at the sky, a dark frown crossing his face.

Optimus observed his distraction. /_Ratchet? What is it?_/

_/I sense a change is imminent_/ the medic somberly replied. /_Starscream will not remain Leader of the Decepticons for very much longer_./

Optimus gave a short nod in acknowledgement, and turned back to Prowl. "Please hurry."

"I am, Sir," Prowl assured him.

They were still over ninety minutes away from Richmond. Optimus waited with growing unease, hoping there won't be any further delays.

* * *

Shockwave gazed intently at the Cube in Soundwave's hand, his processors whirring. "Where did you find that?"

"The humans had hidden the All Spark in a large cave system. One of them tried to escape with it, but Frenzy stopped it."

"I killed the insect!" Frenzy boasted.

"You did well, drone. Very well," Shockwave stated, reaching for the Cube.

Soundwave let him take the All Spark without resisting; an attempt to fight the more powerful Decepticon for possession of it would be suicide. "What are your orders, Lord Shockwave?"

Shockwave glanced briefly at him, then looked thoughfully back down at the Cube, planning. "Starscream will answer for his deceit," he stated, and sent out a summons to the other Decepticons, including Starscream.

_/You dare give me an order?!_/ Starscream growled, angered by Shockwave's impudence.

/_It is a request, --Lord Starscream,_/ Shockwave corrected. /_I have found Soundwave, and there is a very serious matter that must be addressed immediately._/

_/You've captured the deserter? Excellent_!_/_ Starscream said, pleased with the news.

/_Since Skywarp is feeling so energized, I'll have him teleport each of us to your location./_

/_Yes, Lord Starscream. We will be waiting._/ Shockwave concealed the Cube in a compartment beneath his armor a few astro-seconds before Skywarp appeared with his first passenger, Mixmaster.

"Why am I here?" Mixmaster complained, perturbed when Skywarp unceremoniously dropped him and then vanished. "Those Japan humans have appalling styles of architecture!"

Shockwave ignored his question, and that of the others when they were brought over one by one.

"What is going on?" Sixshot asked, he and Soundwave exchanging hate-filled glares.

"You'll find out shortly," Soundwave answered, crossing his arms as he spared one glance at Ravage, sitting next to Sixshot's feet. Ravage appeared unharmed, at least outwardly. Not that that compelled him to be merciful to his kidnapper.

Sixshot's optics narrowed suspiciously; Soundwave sounded far too smug. What are he and Shockwave up to?

Ravage looked from Sixshot to Soundwave, nervously scratching at the ground. Were they going to fight again? He hoped not!

"May I ask what gives _you_ the authority to call this meeting?" Thunderblast snidely asked Shockwave, and scowled when she was ignored just like the others.

"I hope this won't take long," Ramjet remarked, growing bored already. Skywarp returned then, with Starscream.

"Now I'm going to have to recharge soon," Skywarp griped, not happy at having to ferry everyone.

"What is going on here?" Starscream demanded, looking around at the assembled Decepticons.

"We were all wondering the same thing," Thunderblast said, moving to his side, and was mildly amused by the jealous scowl Shortround directed at them. Once she's officially named Second, she had every intention of telling that pathetic scrapheap what she really thinks of him. "Shockwave's refused to tell us anything."

"You had better have a good explanation for this," Starscream threatened, though he did find this sudden insubordination worrisome. It had to be put down at once.

"It is you that has explaining to do," countered Shockwave.

"_What_?! How dare you!" Starscream advanced on him menacingly.

"Show him, Shockwave," Soundwave impatiently said.

"Show me what?" Starscream looked over at Soundwave. He wasn't behaving as if he were a prisoner now, repentent or otherwise. Something was definitely not right.

"Does this look familiar to you?" Shockwave coldly asked, pulling aside an armor plate and removing the Cube, holding it up for all to view.

Starscream went rigid in shock. _No... This is impossible!_

"It's the All Spark!" Hook loudly proclaimed. "But--how??"

"The humans had it in their possession," Shockwave told his astonished audience, "until Soundwave and his drones retrieved it from them."

Soundwave looked pointedly at Starscream. "As we can all see, it quite clearly had _not _been destroyed.

Thunderblast stared at the Cube, astounded, and began putting some distance between herself and Starscream.

Starscream barely noticed her edging away as he tried to regain control of the situation. "Give it to me!" he curtly ordered, wary now of the ominous stares from the other Decepticons.

"No."

"I am your leader! And I--"

"No." Shockwave repeated, closing his hand around the All Spark.

"I don't understand," a confused Ramjet interjected. "Why is the All Spark so small now?"

"That is undoubtably due to some human mischief," Soundwave surmised. "There's been no adverse affect on the Cube, though. It easily healed Frenzy, and restored Laserbeak."

"_Give me the Cube!_" Starscream repeated, stalking closer to Shockwave.

"No," Shockwave refused again. "I believe I speak for all of us when I say that we've heard enough lies from you."

"_I did __**not **__lie!!_"

Disregarding the vehement denial, Shockwave looked around at his fellow Decepticons, who moved to form a loose circle around Starscream, and gave the order. "End him."

"_**No!!**_" Starscream whirled, firing with every weapon he had in a vain attempt to keep them at bay long enough for him to transform and escape.

Shockwave watched, dispassionate, as Starscream fought back viciously, disabling three -- Scrapper, Long Haul and Ramjet-- before going down. There were a few that did not participate in the execution, besides himself, Shockwave noted: Thunderblast, Thundercracker, and Sixshot, and his drone. Not that they were needed, really. Even without those four, Starscream was vastly outnumbered, lasting only two cycles under the onslaught.

Mixmaster broke away from the group when it was over and presented Shockwave with the empty spark chamber.

"Thank you." Shockwave took the casing from him, crushing it in his hand and tossing it to the ground.

Ramjet, Long Haul and Scrapper were moved away from Starscream's scattered remains as a precaution, to ensure that the All Spark revived only them. Hook was quick to tell them that Starscream was very much dead now when they came back online ready to help finish him off.

Shockwave started to tuck the All Spark away again, but a squeal of alarm caught his attention. Soundwave had gone after Sixshot; both had blasters trained on each other. Ravage was on his feet, making small whimpering sounds, his tail lashing in agitation. "Stop, Soundwave."

"He stole Ravage from me!" Soundwave snarled.

"Your drone was forfeit as an appropiate, if mild, punishment for desertion," Shockwave reminded him, implacable. "Now stand down."

"--yes, Lord Shockwave," Soundwave slowly put away his blaster and glared furiously at Sixshot, who smirked. _I will make him pay, one way or another, _he sent to his other four infuriated 'drones'.

Ravage sank back down to the ground, careful to look apologetic instead of happy with the decision, for his friends' benefit.

"Can we please leave this world now, and return to Cybertron?" Dirge asked, anxious to finally go home.

"No. Not yet." Shockwave held the Cube up again. "With this, we shall have our_ true_ leader back."


	19. Chapter 19

Warning: Character deaths

* * *

_Was he actually serious?_

Mikaela had been wondering that ever since they all got back on the road five minutes ago. It was just..weird. Optimus always seemed so reserved, distant. _Well, not__** always**__. There was that one time when he let me and Sam-- But that was just us playing around. It didn't really mean anything...did it? S_he tapped her fingernails on the dashboard. It was the only sound in the truck cab, other than the faint hum of Optimus' engine.

He hadn't activated his holoform again, and stayed silent, just like she did. What was he thinking now? _Did he really mean what he said earlier? Should I ask him about it, or just let it slide? _The finger-tapping continued as she wrestled with her decision.

_I should never have said that to her, _Optimus thought ruefully. Mikaela appeared to be very disturbed by his confession. He turned on the radio, finding one of the songs she liked to listen to during her visits to their old base. Hopefully that will put her more at ease.

Mikaela waited until the Madonna song was finished before talking to the steering wheel again. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Mikaela," Optimus replied in a polite tone.

"Did you--were you bonded with someone?" she asked, changing what she'd been about to say at the last second, and wanted to smack herself for it. _Way to chicken out, Banes._

"No..." he said, regretful. "There were many that I never knew personally, who are now either deceased or wandering the galaxy. It is also possible that I had met the right one, and simply could not have known it without a spark-joining."

"Oh... I just thought you might've tried to find her...or him.."

"We did not join sparks with everyone we encountered, in the slim chance of a bond forming." Optimus told her, with a trace of amusement in his voice now.

Mikaela felt her cheeks grow hot. That does sound pretty damn slutty, now that she thought about it. "Ah, no.. I guess that's not such a great idea." She quietly listened to another song, debating just how to go about bringing up what he'd said to her earlier. --_I'd better wait 'til after we get to Virginia, and find out what the Army's planning to do, _she finally decided.

"Optimus!" Behind them, Ratchet flashed his lights and sirens once in alarm. "They're going to retrieve Megatron's remains."

"For certain?" Optimus asked, a sinking feeling in his spark. He had been hoping that Soundwave would choose ambition over loyalty and proclaim himself the new Leader of the Decepticons.

"Yes," the medic confirmed.

/_Broadside, go to the Laurentian Abyss and aid the humans,_/ Optimus ordered. Another attack on his group was very unlikely now, and stopping the Decepticons from resurrecting Megatron was far more important than keeping Broadside here as their aerial guard.

/_Yes, Sir_./ Broadside turned to the north and sped off.

"That won't make Starscream too happy," Mikaela commented, wondering if there was a chance that one can prevent it. "What do you think they'll do to him?"

"Starscream is dead," Wheeljack told him.

"Dead?! Are you sure? Maybe they just demoted him, or whatever?" asked Sam, curious.

"Unlikely. It would be the Decepticon way: A contested leadership resulting in one opponent's death," Ultra Magnus answered when Wheeljack hesitated.

"Maybe they'll just leave, after they bring Mega-thing back?" Simmons suggested, fidgeting in his seat.

"No. Megatron won't be satisfied until this entire planet is reduced to a barren wasteland," Ratchet grimly predicted.

"Major Lennox, is your military prepared?" Optimus inquired.

"I hope so. We've got one aircraft carrier there already. Two more'll be there within the hour. They'll throw everything they've got at those bastards," Will informed everyone.

"They have not had much success against them so far," Prowl pessimistically noted.

"It's hopeless," intoned a mournful Huffer.

"Stop that!" Ultra Magnus sternly told them. "As long as we're alive, there's still a chance of victory."

"We'll slag their afts!" Warpath agreed zealously.

_--God, this is really happening, _Sam thought, eyes closed tightly and fists clenched on his knees.

Jazz noticed when he stiffened up. "You ok, Sam?"

"No," he had to admit. Memories of being hunted down by that monster flashed through his mind. He'd tried so hard to forget, and now... "I just can't believe we're gonna have to fight _HIM_ again!"

"We'll figure out a way to beat Megatron, Sam. I'm sure of it," Jazz emphatically asserted.

"But what if you can't??" How could Jazz stay so optimistic? An idea occurred to him then. Sam abruptly turned to face Jazz's holoform. "If it really is hopeless, maybe you should just...just leave. All of you."

"No way," was his immediate response.

"I'm serious, Jazz! You guys can get away from all this, and find someplace safe to live. You don't have to die!" Sam said earnestly, and leaned back when Jazz looked at him, his eyes even more intense than usual.

"I don't intend to, but I've never run from a fight in my life. Not gonna start now," Jazz proclaimed, using a don't-argue-with-me-you'll-lose-big-time tone of voice. "Besides, I already said I'm not leaving ya. Hey, what's that phrase humans like to use? 'For better or for worse'?"

"But--" Sam stopped and gave him a weird look. "Uh... That's part of a wedding vow, Jazz."

"It is?" He took a couple seconds to review his data banks more thoroughly. "Well, there ya go!"

A smile tugged at Sam's lips; their conversation had taken a rather strange turn. "There's also 'in sickness and in health'."

"You've had all of those immunity shot things, right?"

"Yeah, I did." He shook his head, mystified: Jazz was a wonder, always managing to cheer him up no matter how bad things get. "Are you a hundred percent functional?"

"You betcha!" Jazz grinned at him. "That line about obeying's a problem, though. I only take orders from Optimus."

"Don't we all?" Sam chuckled, then jerked back around in his seat when Prowl spoke up.

"Those vows were incomplete and recited out of order, according to the data I've collected on humans," he pointed out.

"...oh, shit..." Sam stared, wide-eyed, at Jazz. "He heard us?"

"They all did. Guess I should've closed the link." Jazz shrugged, unfazed. "Oops?"

"It's the thought that counts, Prowl," Mikaela said, enjoying the moment of levity while it lasts. "So who gets to pronounce them husband and--Autobot?"

"Kaela!" Sam choked out, almost doubling over with laughter.

"Don't forget to ask if anyone has any objections," Sideswipe said, getting into the spirit of it. "That's important."

"Very important," Sunstreaker agreed, then slyly asked, "Do you have any, Mirage?"

"Of course not," Mirage scoffed at his insinuation. "This is a quaint custom the humans have, I must say."

'_You and Mirage_'? Sam mouthed at Jazz.

He casually shrugged again. "Happened a really long time ago."

"These wedding events are usually followed by honeymoons. It's tragic that they probably won't live long enough to have one of their own," Huffer gloomily interjected, effectively ending the light-hearted mood.

"Jesus." Sam ran a hand over his face as reality came crashing back down on him.

/_Wow...That was nice, buddy_/ Jazz said with subdued sarcasm, closing his end of the link so Sam didn't have to listen to any more negative remarks.

/_IYou know it's true!_/ Huffer adamantly defended his statement.

/_Muzzle it, willya_?/ Jazz watched Sam in concern, ignoring Huffer now. "You alright?"

"Tired..." _Major understatement there._ That laughing fit had left Sam exhausted, but he was also still wound up. It made him feel a little dizzy.

"Take a nap, then, Sam. We've still got over an hour's drive."

"Yeah.. I'll try." He unbuckled and climbed to the back seats, sprawling over them. Jazz had picked out some pretty comfy leather seats.

"Want some company?"

"Definitely." He scooted forward a few inches to make room for Jazz; it was Jazz's favorite position whenever Sam had snuck out of the house to spend the night in his Aston form.

Jazz moved his holoform into the space between Sam and the backrests. "I'll wake ya when we get to Richmond."

"Thanks," Sam yawned, settling back against Jazz.

"No prob'." Wrapping both arms around him, Jazz felt the tension leaving Sam's body as he finally started to relax. _Ok, that's better_. Sam had sounded a bit hysterical for a moment. He tinted all the windows, blocking out the sun to make it easier for his human to sleep.

* * *

"Send someone else to get those slaggers!" Skywarp said in a near-shout, his temper fraying. He was dangerously low on energy after teleporting over a dozen times already, and Shockwave was ordering to him to bring the last three Decepticons -- Long Haul, Shortround and Mixmaster -- to this place; a nondescript beach in what the humans call the Coast of Labrador.

Thundercracker intervened when Shockwave's optic narrowed at his friend's defiance. "He needs to recharge," he explained in a calm, reasonable voice.

Soundwave also sought to avert a fight. "The All Spark restored his energy level after the Autobots attacked us."

"It did?" Skywarp looked at Soundwave in surprise.

"Yes." He nodded. "You were damaged at the time and offline. That is why you don't remember it."

Shockwave considered that option for an astro-second, then withdrew the All Spark, holding it in front of Skywarp. Nothing happened.

"May I recharge now?" Skywarp irritably asked. "Don't know why you're in such a rush, anyway.."

"Lord Megatron must not remain entombed for one cycle longer if we can prevent it," Shockwave coldly told him. Soundwave said that Skywarp had been damaged when the All Spark revived him, therefore... He swiftly took aim and fired at Skywarp, striking him in the chest. Skywarp toppled over backwards and landed hard, twitching in agony.

Ravage flattened himself to the ground, then ducked behind Sixshot's legs.

"Skywarp!" Thundercracker rushed to his side just as he dropped offline.

"_Why_ did you do that?!" Ramjet furiously demanded.

"Because it is expedient," replied Shockwave.

Sixshot glanced down at Ravage, puzzled by his behavior. Just how badly has he been mistreated by other Decepticons? /_Stop cowering and come here,_/ he told Ravage, leaning down toward him, aware of an angry-looking Soundwave watching.

/_Hn_?/ Ravage stared up at him, ears swiveling in surprise, before scrambling up the proffered arm. Careful not to leave gouges for once, Ravage draped himself across one broad shoulder, contentedly flexing his claws.

"Stand back," Shockwave ordered when Hook started toward Skywarp. "Move aside, Seekers."

Thundercracker and Ramjet reluctantly obeyed, glaring at him as they stepped away from Skywarp.

Shockwave walked over to Skywarp, oblivious to the resentment directed at him. Holding the All Spark out above the large, smoldering hole in the Seeker's chest, he studied it as bluish energy streaked outward to heal Skywarp. Just as Soundwave said, it had survived whatever the humans had done to it. Skywarp was back online, and slowly sat up.

"Skywarp!" The Seeker's head snapped up at the hard edge to Shockwave's voice. "You are going to bring Mixmaster, Shortround and Long Haul here. You will then bring Megatron's body up from the ocean floor. Is that understood?"

"..yes, Commander Shockwave." Skywarp avoided that icy gaze as Thundercracker helped him to his feet.

/_Are you all right?_/ Thundercracker sent to Skywarp.

/_--remind me to never argue with him again,_/ he joked, and glanced warily at Shockwave. /_I'd better get this over with._/

/_Yes..._/ Still worried, Thundercracker removed his hand from Skywarp's shoulder and stepped back, giving him space to teleport.

/_Is this some sort of jest of Primus'?_/ Thunderblast wondered as Skywarp vanished. Disgusted with this latest turn of events, she slipped away into the forest. The last thing she wanted to see right now was Shortround's face. He'd been smirking ever since Starscream was terminated, and she'd had a powerful urge to remove that expression with a cannon blast.

"You _**fool**_!" What in the Pit did Starscream think he was doing, claiming the All Spark hed been destroyed?? Had he gone insane? She didn't sense anything like that when she joined sparks with him. _Why _did he lie? Thunderblast growled, furious at him, and put her fist through a large tree.

Hissing at the painful dents that made in her armor, Thunderblast pulled her hand back out, shaking it to dislodge bits of wood. _Stay calm_, she reminded herself. _Have to pretend to be pleased with Megatron's return...crude sadist that he is. _She pulled out two splinters that were stuck in her finger joints, then gave the tree a solid kick, felling it, before turning around and going back to the beach.

* * *

/_I'm at the Laurentian Abyss now, Optimus,_/ Broadside reported. /_There's no sign of our enemy yet_./

/_Stay vigilant. They could reach your location any second now._/

/_I will, Sir,_/ Broadside assured his leader, transforming into a Cybertronian jet -- far more suitable for battle than his shuttle form. The humans on the carrier seemed very nervous about his presence, despite being told that he was an ally of theirs. Careful not to get too close to them and the human jets that were already patrolling the area, so they won't feel threatened, Broadside tried to ignore the fact that he was flying over a large body of water.

Water that moved. Sloshing waves. A quiver ran through his processors and he started to tilt. _Focus, focus, focus. _He steadied himself, cannons ready in anticipation of the Decepticons' arrival. As his leader had warned, he didn't have long to wait. Skywarp suddenly appeared to Broadside's right, the bright sunlight reflecting off his gray armor.

He immediately fired on Skywarp, who'd begun scanning the ocean bottom for Megatron's body. More missiles struck the Decepticon as the human jets joined in the attack. Skywarp let out a harsh, high-pitched shriek and abruptly disappeared. _Slag it! Just a little more to the left and I would've had him! _Broadside grumbled; that last shot had just missed the spot where Skywarp's spark chamber was located.

/_We've driven Skywarp off,_/ he told his fellow Autobots.

/_They're not going to give up that easily,_/ Ratchet somberly cautioned. /_He'll be back, with the other Seekers._/

/_Major Lennox tells us that those two nearby sea vessels have sent reinforcements. They'll be there in approximately five minutes,_/ Ultra Magnus relayed to Broadside.

_The sooner the better, _Broadside thought, frustrated. Humans travel so slowly! Extending the range of his sensors as far as he could, he picked up the approach of three Seekers, along with Sixshot. They were coming his way from the west, flying _very _fast. He hung back instead of meeting the charge, refusing to let them distract him and allow Skywarp complete his mission.

Seven of the human jets moved to intercept them, while the remaining six stayed to guard the carrier. Broadside let himself drift a few yards away from them. His new white color set him apart from the Decepticon jets, but he still worried that the humans would accidentally fire on him.

One of the Seekers, Dirge, separated from the other two, increasing his speed. Broadside growled when Dirge changed the frequency of his engines. It disrupted his motor functions, sending him dropping toward the ocean surface. _Hate it when the slagger does that! _

The tip of one wing sliced through the water before he managed to regain control of himself, pulling up just in time before plunging into the wretched substance. Skywarp, of course, chose that moment to make another appearance. Broadside turned sharply and fired, just as Dirge made another flyover. This time his shots missed their mark altogether, striking only non-vital areas.

Skywarp's frame shuddered under the impact, but he hovered there for a few astro-seconds, scanning the ocean. Another cannon shot forced him to teleport away. Broadside silently cursed at the lost opportunity, but was was relatively certain Skywarp hadn't had enough time to pinpoint the exact location of Megatron's remains.

The humans' jets were keeping the other three Decepticons busy for now, although one of the Seekers did not seem as keen about fighting as his companions were. That was curious. Broadside took advantage of the brief lull to deal with Dirge. The Decepticon had circled back around to make another overhead pass.

Broadside angled himself vertically, taking aim and firing with both cannons. The first pair of shots missed as Dirge swerved, but the next one didn't. The missiles tore into the base of his left wing, almost taking it completely off.

A third shot struck Dirge squarely in his back and he promptly went into a nosedive, spinning wildly. _Good riddance, _Broadside thought, watching the Decepticon disappear into the ocean with a large splash. An astro-second later Skywarp returned, rapid-firing his own cannons. He went into a roll in an attempt to evade the missiles.

Nearly all missed him by inches, or merely grazed his wings. One, though, did make a direct hit, ripping through armor plating. _Rusty piece of... _Broadside fell dangerously close to the aircraft carrier before recovering. The six human jets that were still on the carrier were now being launched to aid him.

Broadside swerved slightly then, his sensors picking up another Decepticon heading straight at him. Ramjet had gotten past the humans' jets. Bracing for the impact, he concentrated on his top priority, Skywarp.

The Decepticon teleported again, an instant before the missiles would have struck him. Did he find Megatron? Broadside began a scan of his own on the ocean floor, looking for any trace of Skywarp down there, when that miscreant, Ramjet, plowed into his side. _"Scrap pile_!" Broadside snarled aloud, flipping himself over and hurling Ramjet into the ocean.

Ramjet struggled to stay afloat, sparks flying as water began seeping into his metal frame through cracks caused by their collision. _Won't be long before his systems shut down and he sinks, _Broadside observed, gliding away from the floundering Decepticon and over to where Skywarp had vanished. Sixshot and that last Seeker, Thundercracker, were still battling the humans, and had destroyed three of their jets.

Shutting down his pain processors, Broadside assessed his own injuries while resuming scanning: His audio processor inoperative, along with one of his cannons, and the self-repair system was compromised, too. _Will have to get back to the others soon, and--No... _

The soil on the ocean floor had been stirred up by something. Something large. Dejected, Broadside widened his scan. There were only four Decepticons, including Dirge, down there now. He quickly opened a link. /_Optimus! Skywarp has escaped with Megatron's body!_/

/_We know,_/ Optimus replied with a heavy sigh. /_Ratchet, can you tell where Skywarp might have gone?_/

/_Somewhere north of us, but I sense--confusion,_/ the medic said, baffled. /_I can't explain it_./

Broadside watched as Sixshot abruptly turned around and flew off to the west, back the way he'd come. _/With your permission, Sir, I'm going to track Sixshot and Thundercracker._/ he requested, not ready to give up. Those two should lead him to wherever Skywarp went. The humans had the same plan -- half of their remaining jets were attempting to pursue Sixshot, but had little chance of catching up with the much faster Decepticon.

/_What is your condition?_/ Optimus asked, reluctant to put their only flier in even greater peril. There were so few Autobots left...

/_I can still fight if I have to,_/ Broadside insisted. For some reason Thundercracker hadn't accompanied Sixshot, and instead dropped to just above the ocean's surface to avoid the human jets. Why was he lingering?

/_Very well, but don't try to confront the Decepticons alone./_

/_I won't, Sir,_/ he promised_._ /_I'll let you know when I find Skywarp._/

/_Good luck, B-Side,_/ Jazz chimed in.

/_Thank you, Jazz._/ Broadside quickly broke the connection -- Thundercracker was now coming straight toward him. _So you want to fight, do you? _He aimed his one still-intact cannon at his foe and fired. The Seeker had to be taken out fast, before Sixshot gets out of range. Thundercracker swerved, narrowly avoiding the missile, and, to Broadside's complete surprise, slowed down instead of attacking.

"Out of my way, Autobot!" Thundercracker angrily demanded, stopping within fifteen feet of him.

_Is that supposed to be a joke? What is he up to? _Broadside wondered, then noticed that he was positioned between Thundercracker and Ramjet. Ramjet was still online, and still floating in the water, incredibly enough. And Thundercracker was actually trying to save him? _I don't think so._

_You stubborn-- _Thundercracker growled when the Autobot refused to budge. With Sixshot gone, the human jets were converging on him, and his sensors picked up more of them approaching from the south. He_ had _to find a way to end this impasse. /_Ramjet! If you can, fire at the Autobot. He's directly in front of you!_/

/_..und...cker?_/

/_Yes, I'm still here. If you can hear me, do as I say!_/ Thundercracker swerved again, keeping the Autobot's attention on him. The humans were circling them, waiting to get a clear shot at him. He moved even closer to the Broadside to avoid that threat, but it also brought him closer to that large ocean vessel. There were several armed humans on it, and, at a shouted order, fired at him. The small projectiles burned through armor and circuitry, and he faltered. /_Now, Ramjet!_/

/_.ll ..ght..._/ More sparks flew as Ramjet managed to transform. He lifted his right arm out of the water and powered up his cannon, but it cost him much of his remaining energy. Optics darkening, he was on the verge of shutting down completely. He aimed at the blurry-looking shape of the Autobot.

Broadside realized what they were planning an astro-second too late to escape the single missile fired at him. It struck his left side, ripping through thick plating. Wobbling, he almost ended up in the ocean next to Ramjet. _Pit spawn... Sink already!_

Thundercracker darted forward and, using Ramjet's favorite tactic, slammed into the large Autobot, knocking him aside.

Ramjet had just started to submerge when he got to him. /_Reach up!_/ he ordered, hovering right above Ramjet. One flailing hand grabbed onto his underside, hard enough to bend the metal.

/_Hold on!_/ Thundercracker rose up, lifting the now-silent and motionless Ramjet out of the water, turned and sped away, leaving the wounded Autobot and his human allies far behind.

* * *

Everyone was silent for a long moment after Broadside's latest report, even Huffer.

"What'll we do now?" Mikaela asked, arms wrapped around herself at the cold chill that swept through her.

"We will wait here for Broadside, then continue on to Richmond once Ratchet's repaired him," Optimus said, pulling off the road and into a pasture, his appearance sending a few deer there stampeding away.

She unhooked her seatbelt once he stopped. "I mean, what're we gonna do about Megatron?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly, his processors whirring. There were so many things that could have been done differently. So many ways in which this catastrophe could have been averted. Seeking a distraction from such useless speculation. he borrowed a phrase he'd heard Jazz use. "Would you like to get out and 'stretch your legs', Mikaela?"

"No, I'm fine." Mikaela almost squirmed in embarrassment when her stomach rumbled. "Ok, I might need to eat something when we get to Richmond."

"Yes, you must keep your energy level up," he agreed.

"M-hm..." It seemed ridiculous to think of eating at a time like this, though.

"Optimus--" Will tentatively began, "--what if you challenge Megatron to a duel for the All Spark? Think that'd work?"

"A duel," Optimus repeated, considering Major Lennox's suggestion. There was a time when Megatron possessed a sense of honor, but that was long ago; his obsession with the All Spark and conquest corrupted his spark beyond recognition. "I don't know."

"What is your opinion, Ratchet?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"Megatron might accept a challenge, out of pride," Ratchet said, slowly. "If he does, don't hold back, Optimus."

"I won't," he firmly said. For now, though, there was little else to do except wait. Ratchet will sense when Megatron is resurrected.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Mikaela asked. From what Sam had told her about the Mission City battle, Optimus didn't fare too well against Megatron. "Maybe you should recharge?"

"I'll be ready." Optimus paused briefly. "Mikaela, I promise I'll do everything in my power to win back the All Spark, and restore Bumblebee to you."

"Thanks," she whispered, swallowing past a sudden lump in her throat. He was so brave, and kind, always putting everyone else first... _Dammit, if I don't try to find out the truth now, I probably won't get another chance later. _"I--I need to ask you something. Something personal."

"All right." Muting his link with the other Autobots to give himself and Mikaela some privacy, Optimus waited for her to speak her mind.

Mikaela fixed her eyes on the steering wheel. "What you said earlier...did you mean it? For real?"

"Yes, I do," he admitted. "I apologize for upsetting you. It would be best if we both simply forget that it occurred."

"_No! _I mean... It doesn't_ upset_ me. I just..didn't see that coming. At all." She shook her head, stunned by the revelation. "I can't believe you didn't _say_ anything until now!"

"I did tell Maggie," Optimus said, in an effort to appease her. "She'd realized that I love you -- and Sam -- before we joined."

"Wh--what? Joined? You mean...you and she..." Mikaela trailed off, nonplussed. Where did that come from?!

"Yes. I mated with Maggie last night, beginning at nineteen minutes after eleven." _Such a short time ago. _A fresh surge of grief over her death made his spark contract. A small sound came from Mikaela. She was staring at the empty driver's seat, her mouth half-open. "That angers you?"

"Hell, yes, I'm angry! I...ahr! " Bewildered, Mikaela dragged her fingers through her hair. "I'm just trying to figure this whole thing out. How you can say you love me, when you had sex with Maggie?! Why _did_ you, anyway?"

This was going quite badly, just as he'd feared it would. Optimus answered her last question first. This may not be what she expected, or wanted, to hear, but he wasn't about to be dishonest with her. "Maggie offered to join with me, as a gift before I left Earth."

"--so it was like a going away present?" Mikaela shook her head in disbelief. _Did I really just say that?_

"...yes... although I think she may have also intended it for Ratchet," he conjectured, sadly.

"_Ohmygod_! _Ratchet_!" she exclaimed. "Does he know??"

"He does, and had no objections," Optimus told her, but then wondered if Ratchet felt differently now.

"Oh..." _Geez..I know Autobots are pretty open about relationships, but this?!_ "Wait a sec. What do you mean, 'intended for Ratchet', too?" she asked, confused.

Optimus hesitated a moment before voicing the nagging suspicion he had. "I believe that Maggie may have sensed what was about to happen to her."

"You're kidding!" Mikaela started to twist around in her seat, but a twinge in her back made her wince. _Ok, that didn't feel good. _She faced forward again. "You mean like -- subconsciously?"

"That is a peculiar trait," Optimus remarked. "To know something, and yet be unaware that you know."

"Yeah..." Mikaela weakly agreed, thinking it over. "I know some people have claimed to be psychic, but they usually turned out to be frauds. Still... Ratchet's a genuine 'precog'. Maybe it kinda, you know, rubbed off on her?"_Could Maggie have somehow known? God, what a horrible thought!_

"Perhaps... Maggie did have an unpleasant dream, before--" Optimus pondered another aspect of the puzzle. The World Wide Web provided conflicting information. "Would five joinings be considered unusual among humans?"

"Uhm.." _They did it five times?!_ Mikaela cleared her throat, twice_. _"Without a little, uhh, medicinal help, yeah... I'd say it's extreme."

"This is embarrasing you," he stated; Mikaela's heart rate had increased, and her blood pressure elevated.

"--I'm ok," she mumbled, but didn't need to look in the mirror to know that her face had turned bright red. "This is just a lot to take in.."

"You are still angry?" Optimus asked, after half a minute of silence. "I don't understand why. My feelings toward you, and Maggie, are two separate occurrences."

_..Good Lord... _Mikaela dropped her head in one hand for a second, then reminded herself just who she was talking to. He probably had folders named 'Maggie' and 'Mikaela' in his CPU. _Wait, didn't he say Sam?_ She took a steadying breath and looked back up. "I suppose Sam's a 'separate occurance', too?"

"Of course." He belatedly discovered the probable reason for her anger. "According to my research, many humans place a high value on monogamy."

"Uh-huh.. A lot of us do." _This is so bizarre! Have I been sucked into an alternate universe or something? _She stared out the front windshield, a dozen thoughts careening through her mind. _Would I even be able to handle a three-way relationship, like Maggie did. Not that I'd really __**want **__to, but... Would Bumblebee have been pissed at the idea? Maybe not; he was an Autobot, too, after all. There's Broadside. He doesn't look too good... _Mikaela watched him make a rather hard landing. Apparently Broadside was hurt enough that he couldn't change out of jet form. Ratchet, Wheeljack and Hoist all converged on him to start repairs.

_Not that it'd matter if I did want to give it a try. Nothing matters now. _"Optimus.. I'm flattered, I really am, but--I just don't feel the same way about you. Maybe if I'd gotten to know you better.." Mikaela let the sentence peter out. Maybe.. But it was too late now. Way too late. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, please," he said with calm acceptance, concealing his disappointment. "It was my choice to spend much of my time away from our base. I did not want to risk possibly interfering with you and Bumblebee. Or Sam and Jazz."

Her eyes widened at this latest surprise. "That was deliberate? I thought you were just really busy trying to get in touch with more Autobots..." Optimus was truly amazing. There wasn't one selfish wire in his body. _Am I crazy for turning him down? _"Sam doesn't know, does he?"

"No." He sighed deeply, imagining an equally outraged reaction from Sam. "I've no doubt that his answer would be the same as yours. You and he are much alike."

"Oh..."She looked out the windshield again, desperate for something to take her mind off of everything, just for a little while. "I think I should go see if I can help fix Broadside."

"All right." He opened the door for her. "Ratchet will appreciate that."

"Thanks." Relieved, Mikaela wasted no time unbuckling and jumping out; it was starting to get a little claustrophobic in the cabin.

"You're welcome." Optimus sighed again when she practically ran over to the other Autobots. _That was a mistake, _he bleakly concluded. It was obvious that Mikaela was extremely offended by what he'd told her.

_Don't look at him... Don't look at him.. _Mikaela repeated to told herself. _Just concentrate on Broadside..figure things out later. _For the most part she succeeded in that goal -- sneaking just one glance at the red and blue truck -- while she spent the next twenty minutes fixing hard-to-reach wires under Ratchet's supervision.

* * *

"Where is Skywarp?" Shockwave asked when Thundercracker returned with Ramjet. "Why did you refuse to accept my link?"

"I didn't refuse. My communications system was damaged in battle," Thundercracker explained, distracted as he set Ramjet down on the ground. "--Skywarp didn't come back?"

"Do you see him or Lord Megatron here with us?" Thunderblast derisively asked.

Thundercracker glared at her, then next next to Ramjet. His friend wasn't moving at all now, which worried him.

"No, he has not returned," Shockwave told him. "Nor has he answered responded to any of the messages I sent," added Shockwave.

"Perhaps Skywarp teleported to the wrong beach?" Hook suggested. "Sixshot did say he'd sustained some damage by the Autobot as well. It could have confused him, and affected his intended coordinates."

"Further delay is unacceptable. Lord Megatron must be located immediately. Search every part of this land," Soundwave ordered the group, who quickly dispersed.

"Wait! Ramjet needs the Cube!"Thundercracker had pulled open one of Ramjet's chest plates and was alarmed to see that his spark was gone. Extinguished. "He needs it now!"

"Very well," Shockwave agreed, simply because the Seekers can search faster than the land-bound Decepticons. It was unfortunate that Dirge was lost.

Thundercracker watched, his worry increasing, as the All Spark healed himself and revived Ramjet at the same time. Skywarp wouldn't dare try to hide Megatron's body as a prank -- Shockwave would not hesitate to order him executed, just like with Starscream. He must have been seriously injured to not make it back here.

"_**Help!**_/ Ramjet shouted as he came back online, arms and legs flailing.

Shockwave looked down at the panic-stricken Seeker. "_What_ are you doing?"

"He was sinking when he died," Thundercracker told him, grabbing hold of one arm. "Ramjet, stop! You're on land now!"

"Interesting..." remarked Shockwave.

Ramjet stopped thrashing and looked around. "We are?"

"Yes."

"_Thank Primus!" _He climbed to his feet, with help from Thundercracker. "I am never fighting over water again!"

"You will do as you are ordered, Seeker," Shockwave coldly informed him. "Lord Megatron's whereabouts are currently unknown. Both of you are to join the search for him."

/_If we weren't doing all this for Lord Megatron..._/ Ramjet sent as the Military Commander strode away from them.

/_Once we have our leader back, we'll leave this planet and go home,_/ Thundercracker reassured him.

/_Then let's hurry up and find him. And Skywarp._/ Ramjet transformed and flew off, followed by Thundercracker. /_My sensors aren't picking up any sign of them. Are yours?_/

/_No, but we've barely started looking. In fact, we should separate. We'd cover more ground that way._/

/_I suppose..._/ Ramjet grumbled, none too keen about flying alone right now. What if that slagging Autobot shows up? He was saved from that dilemma by an open sending.

_/I've found them!_/ A jubilant Long Haul announced. /_They're on a beach, next to a town called Makkovik. There are eight humans surrounding them._/

/_Dispose of the humans,_/ Shockwave ordered him. /_I'll be there shortly._/

/_Yes, Commander Shockwave. --I should mention that Skywarp's dead._/

_Cursed Autobots_! Murderously furious, Thundercracker consulted the maps he'd downloaded, then changed direction, heading for Mavvaki. Sixshot was already there. Being much larger and stronger than Long Haul, he'd taken on the task of moving Megatron further up the beach, but left Skywarp lying a few feet out in the surf, waves rythmically splashing against him. With a growl at Sixshot's callous disregard toward his friend, Thundercracker transformed and, with Ramjet's help, moved Skywarp away from the water.

Skywarp was in horrendous condition. The entire surface of his body, every inch of armor, was caved in, as if some giant hand had crushed him. _Of course! It must have been the tremendous pressure at the bottom of the ocean that killed him, not the Autobot's missiles_, Thundercracker realized, now that he'd calmed down somewhat. Where was Shockwave with that Cube?!

Impatiently waiting while two very long cycles passed -- during which Hook appeared, having been the closet to their beach -- Shockwave reached them. He changed out of his helicoptor alt form and walked quickly to Megatron. Ramjet, Long Haul and Hook joined him at their leader's side. Thundercracker stayed by Skywarp, but watched with eager anticipation.

The brief notion of waiting until the other Decepticons were also present for this was dismissed, and Shockwave set the All Spark down next to his leader. Recalling Ramjet's behavior when he was brought back to life, and the alleged circumstances surrounding Megatron's demise, he backed away as a precaution, as blue energy erupted from the Cube. Three astro-seconds after the energy dissipated, a pair of red optics sprang open.

Coming back online in battle mode, and enraged, Megatron lunged upward, seizing whoever was closest and ripping him in half.


	20. Chapter 20

AN: Sorry about the delay. This chapter was really stubborn.

* * *

"_**Hook!!**_" Long Haul started to charge forward, but was yanked back by Shockwave.

"Stay where you are!" Shockwave ordered him, retrieving the Cube before addressing their leader. "Lord Megatron!"

"Shockwave??" Megatron took in the unfamiliar surroundings in one glance. This was not the human city, where he'd fought that sentimental fool of a brother, Prime. The last thing he remembered was that filthy boy, who'd... His fury returned, along with humiliation over being defeated by a tiny fleshing -- he vowed to personally kill that particular human, and right in front of Optimus Prime, if at all possible -- and a burst of confusion. _How was it I am alive now? Why is Shockwave here? _He'd ordered the Military Commander to remain on Cybertron when he left to search for the All Spark. Regaining his equilibrium, he turned back to Shockwave. "Explain why you disobeyed me and came to this world."

"As Second-in-Command, Starscream became our new leader after your demise," Shockwave replied. "He brought us here to avenge you."

"Did he?" inquired Megatron, highly skeptical of the alleged motive. Starscream never willingly accepted a mission unless it benefited him in some way.

Shockwave nodded. "Yes. He also claimed that these Earth creatures destroyed the All Spark, which we all now know was not true," he finished, holding the Cube up for his leader to see. "Soundwave found where it had been hidden and took it back from the humans."

Megatron stared at the Cube. _--It can't be! _He'd seen the All Spark's casing disintegrate in that boy's hands when it's full power was released, had felt the agony of it overwhelming and burning out his own spark. Where did this smaller one come from? Concealing his astonishment, he looked down at the dead Decepticon in his hands, tossed aside the two halves and plucked the Cube out of Shockwave's fingers.

Deciding not to question this mysterious boon from Primus, he also decided to let Shockwave and the others continue believing that Starscream had lied about the All Spark. "How predictable of my treacherous Second. Where is Starscream now?"

"Starscream was terminated for deceiving us, Lord Megatron," replied Shockwave. "As was appropriate."

"Of course," Megatron smoothly agreed, though he was irate that Shockwave had taken it upon himself. His fingers closed tightly around the All Spark. _Mine, at last! _he thought, savoring the moment of triumph. Until someone interrupted.

"Lord Megatron!" Thundercracker took a step back at the vicious look directed at him, then bowed low. "Lord Megatron," he repeated, in a more respectful, subservient voice. "Will you use the All Spark to bring Skywarp back?"

"And Hook?" Long Haul nervously added, picking up the medic's upper body.

"Who else came with you, Shockwave?" Megatron asked, considering both entreaties. Now that he had the All Spark in his possession, Hook's well-being, or lack of, was of no interest to him. Skywarp was a different matter. The very rare ability to teleport made him a valuable asset.

"Scrapper, Mixmaster, Scavenger, Shortround and Thunderblast. So far our casualties in this war have been Thrust, Hardtop, Shrapnel, Dirge, Skywarp--and Hook."

"Hook?" Ravage repeated, trotting out from the treeline. "Not Hook!" He dashed over to Long Haul and stood on his hind legs, peering up at his friend's torso. "Not Hook!!"

Sixshot frowned, not much liking this apparent attachment of Ravage's to the medic. "Ravage!" he impatiently called to him, just as Soundwave and Shortround reached their beach.

Ravage poked at the exposed wiring with his left front paw, gave a low, sad moan when he realized Hook was dead, then dropped back down to all fours and trotted over toward Sixshot. Stopping by Megatron along the way, he crouched low to the ground. "We are happy to have our great leader returned to us," he said, deferentially, then slunk off when Megatron didn't acknowledge him.

"Lord Megatron?" Scrapper ventured, picking up his friend's lower half, too.

"Yes, I will restore Hook, and Skywarp," stated Megatron, annoyed by the minor inconvenience. Still, it was necessary to placate Scrapper and the other surviving Constructicons. For now. _Once I have my new army, they can rust in the Pit for all I care._

"Lord Megatron." Soundwave walked over to him. "It is an honor to serve you again."

Megatron wasted no time in exchanging inane pleasantries. "How much progress has been made on this world, Shockwave?"

_Hmph. _Ravage sat down next to Sixshot, avoided looking at Soundwave, and watched as the rest of the Decepticons finally began showing up.

"Very little thus far, but then we arrived only yesterday," he answered, then proceeded to give a complete report. "Our first target was Hoover Dam, then we traveled to a large city called Los Angeles, destroying much of it and slaying many of the humans that lived there. After that we--"

"I see I've missed the spectacular resurrection," Thunderblast drawled, stepping out from the trees. "Welcome back, Lord Megatron."

"Thunderblast," he replied in a dismissive tone, barely glancing at her.

Thunderblast fumed over this latest snub. "I do hope you've recovered from your ordeal on this world," she said with feigned concern.

"I am fully recovered," Megatron growled at the reminder of his imprisonment. "I also don't need to ask you your motive for coming to Earth, do I?"

"Thunderblast was often by Starscream's side, until we killed him," Ramjet mentioned, getting back at her for pestering Thundercracker. "I think they might even have joined sparks."

_Why, you..._She froze in place when Megatron looked at her with a discomfiting interest.

Megatron sneered. "Was Starscream really that much of a fool?"

"I found it to be very _enlightening_, actually," Thunderblast retorted.

"Was it really?" Megatron stalked toward her. What might Starscream have revealed to this conniving femme? Could he have learned something of this new Cube's origin before he left Earth. There was one way to find out for certain, and it would serve as punishment for her insolence.

_I ought to rip out your vocal processor!, _she thought, putting the blame for her predicament squarely on Ramjet as she stood her ground. "Perhaps 'enlightening' was an overstatement..." Thunderblast gasped, startled, when Megatron suddenly grabbed her. "Let go of me!" she demanded, indignant, and shoved at the finger wrapped around her legs.

"Silence!" he ordered, with a warning squeeze.

Her armor creaked under the pressure. She stilled then, furious that everyone was witnessing this humiliating display and blatantly snickering amongst themselves. The slaggers!

Megatron drew the sharp tip of his forefinger over the seam in her chest plates, painfully scraping the metal. "Open for me."

"...yes, Lord Megatron..." Thunderblast muttered, and pulled apart the plates. If she didn't obey, he would simply do it himself, which would be quite unpleasant for her. _This is Soundwave's doing, too, and Shockwave's, _she amended, glancing at the large hand in front of her that held the All Spark. _By Primus, I will make both of them pay for this..._

Megatron lowered his left hand, clutching the Cube tightly, then brought the femme's chest against his own, hard. A faint hiss escaped her at the contact, but she made no further sound when their sparks joined.

Thunderblast went rigid as he easily forced his way past the token resistance she put up and into her memories. _His finesse is really quite extraordinary, _she thought sourly, determined to endure the brusque intrusion in silence.

His optics widened a fraction. "What?! Starscream chose _you_, a weakling _**femme**_, as his Second-in-Command?"

"Ridiculous!" Sixshot scoffed, prompting similar disparaging remarks from many of his comrades.

_Weak, am I? _Thunderblast growled, her temper igniting. Gathering herself, she 'pushed' back, seeking access to Megatron's memories of Starscream and his phantom mentor. To her surprise, she did succeed, for a brief moment. He was so accustomed to absolute compliance from his Decepticons -- with Starscream being the one exception - that he wasn't expecting it.

Megatron jerked her away from him and flung her to the ground. /_You dare?!/_ he snarled, furious.

/_Do you really want everyone to think you feel threatened by a weak little femme like me?_/ Thunderblast quickly sent to him when he started to raise his right arm, ready to put an end to her then and there. That gave him pause, as she'd hoped it would.

"Shockwave." Megatron turned sharply to him. "_You _shall be my new Second."

Shockwave inclined his head, taking no notice of the displeased reactions from a few of his fellow Decepticons. "I shall not fail you, unlike my predecessor, Lord Megatron."

Fists clenching, Thunderblast dragged herself up out of the sand, shaking the harsh substance out of her joints with distaste. Shortround made no effort to help her as he usually would have done. _Not that I'd want any help from him! _"So, this Wheeljack was part of the group that studied the All Spark..." she mused aloud, regaining her composure.

"Yes," Megatron said, in a clipped tone.

"Who is Wheeljack?" Thundercracker asked, still standing next to Skywarp, waiting.

"An Autobot scientist. One that escaped from Praxus."

Thunderblast observed Megaton's angry expression. _Ahh. How frustrating that must have been for you_.

"Ten Autobots landed on Earth yesterday, and met with Optimus Prime's group and their human pets, Lord Megatron" Soundwave informed him. "Perhaps one of them is this Wheeljack."

_Hm. _He looked down at the femme again. "You are going to hunt them down. If Wheeljack is there, you will capture him and the human boy. Sam, it is called. I want them both. Alive."

Thunderblast gaped at Megatron. "There are twelve other Autobots with him!"

"We all know how much confidence you have in your skills. Or are you admitting to being incapable of so simple a task?

"No, Lord Megatron..." She bowed to him, throwing a glare of utter loathing at her audience. "I'll contact you when I've found them."

"Good." He turned his back, pointedly dismissing her.

"Lord Megatron?" Thundercracker approached his leader as the femme left in a huff. "Will you please use the All Spark to bring back Skywarp and Hook, before we leave Earth?"

"We are not leaving," Megatron answered, a dark smile forming as he looked upon the Cube again. "Shockwave, you've had more time to analyze this world than I have. Where is the closest large city?"

* * *

"There," Mikaela said, fixing the last two broken wires in the Autobot's back. "Good as new."

"Thank you, Mikaela Banes." Broadside tilted sideways, allowing her to step off him instead of jumping down.

"You're welcome." Wiping her hands on her pants, she moved back when Ratchet asked the huge Autobot to try to transform now. All of the others were already in their robot forms.

Ratchet watched critically as Broadside complied, and frowned, hearing something grinding.

"That left arm joint needs more work," Wheeljack noted.

Broadside made a discontented sound, then sat down, a little awkwardly, so they could reach the problem.

Mikaela looked around, thinking about asking someone else for a ride; she really didn't think she'd feel comfortable around Optimus now. Wheeljack would've been her first choice, but not if it meant riding with Simmons. No way was she going to ask Warpath. That Autobot was just plain weird. Mirage, maybe? He didn't strike her as the type to make idle chit-chat, which would suit her just fine. The sound of Will's cell phone ringing caught her attention.

"Yeah?" Will said, answering it. "Hold on, I can barely hear you. Can you repeat that?" He pressed the phone harder to his ear, covering the other one with his free hand. "Ok, I copy. Keep me updated, and wish them luck for me."

Mikaela waited until he hung up. "Please tell us there's _good_ news, Will."

"Three Decepticons were spotted on some beach in Newfoundland, Canada. The bad news is that some locals went to investigate..."

"How many were killed?" Optimus asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Eight," Will grimly replied, then added, "But the good news is two of the 'Cons there are down. They're big ones. Maybe one of 'em is Megatron."

"It could be that some are opposed to restoring him, or for some unknown reason have not able to," Prowl conjectured.

Will stuffed his cell phone back in a pocket. "That'd give the Air Force a chance to catch them by surprise, for once."

"No.." Ratchet hunched over, the welder slipping from his grasp. "Megatron has been brought back to life."

"Oh, great. So much for surprise..." Simmons muttered, kicking at a loose rock in his frustration. It bounced toward that gold Autobot and hit the driver's side door. "Oh, crap! Sorry!" He backed away, hands up in the air.

"Never mind that," Sunstreaker said impatiently. _Silly human acts like I'm going to stomp on him over a tiny dent. _"Can you sense anything else, Ratchet?"

"He still plans to use the All Spark to create a new army. I also sense a deep hatred. It is...unsettling," Ratchet added, flicking a glance at a white-faced Sam. The boy caught the look, and visibly shuddered with dread.

Jazz crouched protectively over his human. "He'll hafta get through me first."

"And I." Optimus' gaze swept over his friends. _There is so little time left now, for us all. _He turned his thoughts away from the consequences of yet another failure. _Please let this work. _

Unused to such posturing, he sought Will's help in exactly how to word his challenge. It was very important that it be subtle in it's design to provoke Megatron's wrath. Optimus listened to the Major's advice, and a few suggestions from Arcee and Ultra Magnus. Opening a long-unused link, he sent the message to Megatron, then waited.

And waited.

After four minutes of silence, his shoulders sagged. "He has not answered."

"Maybe he's still thinking it over?" Mikaela asked, her voice quavering slightly.

"No.. He would have accepted by now, if he was going to." Optimus closed his optics, lassitude spreading through his central processor. "Megatron has what he's been searching for. He'll likely seek out the largest cities first to begin creating,"

_Never believed it'd turn out like this. _Slumping against Ultra Magnus' left foot, Will stared blindly in the direction of the highway. He'd never felt this helpless in his entire life. _There's not a damn thing we can do to stop them from destroying everything._ G_od, Sarah and Annabelle..._

"I for one refuse to simply give up," Ultra Magnus stated, glancing sympathetically down at the small human.

"I agree. An attack of our own may be the only way to stop Megatron now, before he has a chance to create an army," Wheeljack said, an equally stubborn look on his metallic face.

"But how?" Prowl asked, standing next to Arcee and a fidgeting Warpath. "The chances of success are virtually nonexistent. Mirage is the only one who could get close to Megatron undetected, but he's not large enough, or powerful enough, to get the Cube away from him."

"I'm not going to let that stop me from trying," Mirage staunchly declared.

"And we shall do all we can to aid you," added Broadside.

Will made a concentrated effort to pull himself together and straightened up. "Ok, look," he began, his voice raspy and his chest painfully tight. "They'll probably head to New York -- that's the closest big city to Canada."

"That would be the most logical strategy," Prowl agreed. "New York City has a population of over eight million."

Will set his duffel bag on the ground. "Yeah, it does. So you guys should go there, too. Maybe you can catch them by surprise..."

"The plan was to go to Richmond," reminded Simmons.

"Screw that. I'm with Magnus," Sam declared. "I'm not gonna run away and hide."

"Neither am I," Mikaela agreed, just as determined to go out fighting with their Autobot friends, then looked at Will in concern. "Wait.. You're not coming with us, are you?"

"There's nothing more I can do for you now, so I--" He coughed a bit to clear a sudden lump in his throat. "I'm going to go find my wife and daughter."

"Will..." She went to give him a quick hug. "Of course you should be with them."

Sam came up behind Mikaela and almost told Will 'see ya later', but that would've been dumb. _We're never going to see him again... _"Say hi to them for me," he said instead, shaking Will's hand for a good five seconds.

"Thanks, Sam," Will answered, clapping him on the shoulder. "And good luck to you guys."

Optimus lowered himself to one knee, inclining his head in respect. "We are grateful for the help you've given us, Will Lennox. You've been a brave and loyal friend." He glanced over at the twins; they were the fastest on land. "Sideswipe, you will take him to his family."

"Right away, Sir." Sideswipe immediately changed into the red Lamborghini, the passenger door lifting up.

"Keller and the other bigwigs probably aren't gonna like this," Simmons remarked.

Will regarded him steadily. "So?"

Simmons shrugged in response, saying nothing more on the subject.

"Here. You'll need these," Will said, taking the grenade launchers and ammo out of his bag and handing them over to Sam and Mikaela. _Well...I guess this is it. _He took one last look around at everyone. "Goodbye."

"May Primus watch over you," Optimus intoned, and was echoed by the other Autobots, and Sam and Mikaela.

"Thanks. I'll be praying for a miracle." Will laid one hand flat against Optimus' 'knee' before going over to the car. He paused for a second to give them all a salute, then got in the passenger side.

"..see you in another life, brother," Sam mumbled, quoting from one of his favorite shows. It seemed sadly fitting, under the circumstances. The door closed, and Sideswipe sped off.

/_I'll catch up with you in New York. Save a few Decepticons for me,_/ Sideswipe quipped to his twin.

_/I'll try to,_/ Sunstreaker replied with forced cheerfulness, watching him disappear into the distance.

"Ok...if we're going to the Big Apple, we'd better get moving now," Simmons said after Lennox and Sideswipe were gone.

"We are going to New York City," Prowl corrected him, wondering what a type of fruit had to do with their destination.

"Uh..yeah. Whatever." Simmons didn't bother trying to explain the nickname to the Vulcanesque Autobot.

"Broadside is large enough to transport all of us, but it will be crowded," Optimus informed Sam and Mikaela, making no attempt to try to dissuade them from their choice.

"That's fine with me," Mikaela said, counting the number of grenades that were left while Broadside changed back into shuttle form.

Sam put his weapon in his backpack. "Yeah, same here." Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he followed everyone up the landing ramp. Optimus was the last one to come aboard.

Jazz scooped Sam up and sat down, holding him close. He and the other smaller Autobots were huddled together at both ends of the cargo hold, leaving just enough space in the center for Optimus and Ultra Magnus.

_Hope Will finds them fast. _Sam shifted to a comfortable position, starting to relax a little against the warm metal, then remembered something he'd somehow managed to totally forget. _Ohmygod... My parents!_

* * *

_He wants to __**stay **__on this world? _Confused, Thundercracker paced, creating a shallow trench as Megatron used the All Spark on Hook first, then Skywarp. A massive shudder wracked Skywarp, while the medic came online with a shriek.

"Hook!" Scrapper grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him. "You're all right now!"

"Uhh..." He flopped back down on the ground when Scrapper let go. "That _hurt_!"

"I can imagine.." Scrapper said, grimacing in memory. "The All Spark repaired you."

Hook sat up and inspected his midsection, scanning to make sure everything was in it's proper order, than glanced fearfully at Megatron. To his relief their leader was discussing whatever plan he had in mind with Shockwave, and paying no attention to them.

/_...I hate this planet..._/ Still a little unsteady, Skywarp lurched to his feet, with a little help from his friend.

/_I'm--not very fond of it, either,_/ Thundercracker replied. /_Unfortunately, Megatron has said that we're staying_./

"What?!" he burst out. "Lord Megatron! We have the All Spark now. We should return to Cybertron!"

"_No_." Megatron growled at being questioned again. Do they need another reminder of who is in command? "The All Spark will--" he stopped short, feeling an odd sensation. Someone was trying to contact him via an old link. Curious, he opened and, and received a message that incensed him. _Does he actually think that he can defeat me? I'll tear him __**apart**__, limb by limb!!_

Taking that moment to scurry over to his leader, Frenzy reached out and tapped on his foot. "Lord Megatron! Lord Megatron!"

/_Frenzy!_/ Soundwave called to him, alarmed at the risk he was taking. Megatron's mood was volatile, and he could very well kill Frenzy for disturbing him.

"_What_?" Distracted, Megatron glanced down, ready to kick the impudent drone away from him.

"Lord Megatron help Barricade now?" Frenzy asked, tilting his head back to look hopefully up at his leader.

"Barricade?" Megatron looked back up at Soundwave. "Where is he?"

"Hidden inside the same cave system where I'd found Frenzy. The humans killed and dissected him."

"All Spark can save him!" chittered Frenzy, rocking back and forth.

"No," Megatron refused, and contemptously added, "If he was careless enough to allow himself to be captured, then he can remain buried underground."

"Yes, Lord Megatron." Soundwave was quick to snatch Frenzy up when he started to object. /_Do not provoke him!_/

/_But...but...Barricade_!/ Frenzy plaintively wailed.

/_Barricade is irrelevant to our goal,_/ he said with brutal honesty. /_Forget him._/

"Not fair, not fair, not fair..." Frenzy insisted, rebellious, but subsided at a threatening look from Megatron.

_Why have he and Ravage become so obsessive when partnered with others?_wondered. Is there some sort of glitch in their systems. A thorough diagnostic will have to be done. And speaking of Ravage..."Lord Megatron, there is an injustice that I must ask you to address," he said, carefully keeping his demeanor submissive.

"Injustice?" Sixshot scoffed, knowing full well what he was about to ask for. "You broke rank within hours of our landing on Earth!"

"Did he?" Megatron was amused by that revelation. "I am surprised more of you did not do the same, in light of Starscream's incompetence."

"Soundwave was punished for desertion, as was appropriate, and Ravage was given to Sixshot," Shockwave pointed out.

"Yes, so it was," Megatron impatiently acknowledged. _Those two have been arguing over a drone? Pathetic! _"However, since you have also done a great service to me in finding the All Spark, you shall be rewarded, Soundwave." He strode over to Sixshot, plucking the drone from his shoulder.

Ravage yelped in protest as he was tossed toward Soundwave, who caught him. A quick peak at Sixshot made him cringe. His partner -- former partner now -- looked furious. At least Sixshot didn't openly dispute Megatron's decision; that would not have been good. But if the low growl he heard was any indication, this wasn't the end of it.

"Thank you, Lord Megatron." Soundwave bowed, satisfied with the outcome, for the most part. Seeking revenge on Sixshot now was not an option; Megatron rarely tolerated fighting among his high-ranked officers. He did not let that stop him from smiling gloatingly at Sixshot. /_Do you need to recharge, Ravage?_/

/_Yes..._/ Ravage said in a small voice, quickly transforming and ducking into the compartment reserved for him inside Soundwave's chest. Maybe if he stayed out of sight for the next hundred vorns, his problems would just go away.

"Is there anything else in _urgent _need of my attention?" Megatron asked, his tone warning them all to not waste his time with petty grievances. They all shook their heads. Calmer now, he listened again to that challenge from Prime, recognizing it for what it was. An act of desperation from someone who knows he's already lost. Caressing the All Spark possessively, he purged the message, and the link.

Shockwave looked up at the sky. "There are nine human jets approaching our location."

"Nine," Megatron repeated, smiling. Nine new Seekers will be an adequate start. "Skywarp, bring them to me. They shall be the first."

"--bring you the jets, or the human pilots, Lord Megatron?" Skywarp asked, perplexed.

"The jets!" He scowled at the absurd question. Seekers have never been valued for their intelligence.

"Yes, Lord Megatron," Skywarp said, and promptly vanished.

Thundercracker frowned. "Lord Megatron... You intend to use the All Spark to turn those jets into Decepticons?"

"Yes," he confirmed, exultant at finally having his ambition fulfilled. "With the army the All Spark will provide me, I shall rule the entire galaxy!"

"The metals that these humans use are much weaker than our Cybertronian alloys," Shockwave stated, critically. "However, the sheer number of soldiers that will be created easily compensate for that."

_All that oppose him will meet the same fate as these humans, _Thundercracker realized, with growing unease. His fellow Decepticons didn't appear bothered by the thought of so much slaughter, though, so he kept quiet.

Skywarp returned then with the first jet, it's cockpit glass broken in order to shut down it's engine and remove the pilot. He dropped the jet on the ground, a few feet away from where Megatron stood, then teleported away to bring him the next one. Megatron walked up to the inert jet and tapped the All Spark against it. Tendrils of energy arced out from the Cube, streaming over and around the jet. Within just a few astro-seconds it shook, rocking on it's tires, then slowly transformed into it's new robotic form.

Megatron watched as the new Seeker looked down at himself, bewildered, then around at the Decepticons that surrounded him. He attempted to speak, but could only produce gibberish since he knew no languages yet. Like any newly-created Sparkling, his memory bank was empty._ Easy to mold to suit my purposes._

Right now, however, he began to panic at all the attention he was receiving, and powered up his cannons in self-defense. Swiftly closing the distance between them, Megatron seized him and, as the now-terrified Sparkling fought to free himself, forced apart his chest plates and disabled his weaponry, along with his upper body motor functions. The Seeker let out a low-pitched whimper as he struggled to free himself from Megatron's powerful grip, and his red gaze darted around, pleading for help that didn't come.

Ignoring the sounds of distress, Megatron slammed their chests together. The moment their sparks joined he sent specific memories and knowledge through the connection. The Seeker trembled, his still-developing processors strained by the massive influx of information. As expected, his fear and pain faded, replaced with cold ruthlessness, and Megatron released him then. "Who do you serve?" he asked, testing the Youngling.

"Only you, Lord Megatron," he replied, with absolute loyalty.

Megatron smiled, satisfied with the results. The Seeker's first order will be to share the data he provided it with the others, once they're created, to speed along the building of his army.

"Will this one have a designation?" Shockwave impassively asked, knowing that Lord Megaton will either choose one himself, or allow this new Decepticon remain nameless.

"Yes." Megatron cast a jeering glance at Frenzy as he answered. "Barricade."

* * *

_Come on..come on.. _Sam rummaged through his backpack a second time. "...gotta be in here somewhere..."

Seated next to Wheeljack's feet, Mikaela looked over at him when his muttering broke the deafening silence that had descended over everyone. "What are you looking for?"

"My phone. I gotta call my parents!"

"Oh." She bit her bottom lip, reminded of how she'd been avoiding trying to get in touch with her father.

"Relax. I got it right here," Jazz told Sam, producing the cell phone from beneath the armor of his right arm and handing it to him. "It fell outta your pocket earlier."

"Thanks!" He punched in the numbers and pressed the cell phone to his ear. After a few seconds he hung up. "Voice mail," Sam explained at Mikael's curious look. "Guess it's still kinda early over there."

"Want me to hang onto that for ya?" Jazz offered.

"That'd be great. Thanks." Sam gave the phone back to him, but still looked very worried about something.

Mikaela had a pretty good idea what that something is. "I haven't left any message for my dad. I just...don't know what to say." She paused, feeling helpless, and bitterly resenting it. "It's probably better if they don't know... I mean, what good would it do, anyway?"

Jazz watched silently as Sam thought long and hard about what Mikaela said. The parents were bound to call themselves and lecture Sam -- he knew that from past experience. The last thing his human needed was even more stress, so he drained the battery in Sam's phone. _It's for Sam's own good_, Jazz reasoned.

"I don't want to lie to them, but..." Sam winced, imagining his parents' reaction to 'Hi. We're all going to New York to fight a bunch of giant alien robots'. That was guaranteed to totally freak them out! "You're right. All we'd really do is give them a heart attack." He pulled his knees up, resting his arms on them, and tried not to think about what was waiting for them in New York City.

Clasping her hands together when they trembled slightly, Mikaela glanced at the other Autobots. Almost all of them were in recharge, preparing for the last battle of their lives. Prowl was next to Arcee, almost shoulder to shoulder. It was so obvious that he was hung up on her. Obvious to everyone but the all-business femme. _And I was gonna try to play matchmaker with them._

Sighing, she looked over at the two others besides Jazz and Wheeljack were still online.

Ratchet's gaze was fixed on the far wall, and he didn't seem to be paying attention to anyone or anything around him, while Optimus... He looked so sad, head hanging low and optics so dimmed their brilliant blue color was barely visible now, it made her heart ache. It also made Mikaela feel horribly guilty about avoiding him.

She stood, stretching to get a kink out of her back before starting toward Optimus. A faint, almost inaudible hum caught her attention. Wheeljack was scanning her. Again. His mother hen-like behavior almost made her smile. "Everything checked out okay?"

"Hrm. Yes, you are still functioning normally," he responded at length, nodding.

"Uh.. Thanks. That's good to know." Mikaela quirked an eyebrow at him, then shrugged and walked over to Optimus. "A-hem..."

He looked downward, optics focusing on her. "Yes, Mikaela?"

"Mind if I sit next to you?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Not at all, although I assumed you'd want to sit elsewhere, after our conversation. I know that what I've done disgusted you," Optimus murmured, but didn't apologize for what felt right to him then, and now.

"I...It did bug me, alot," Mikaela said, her face flushing. "But I can't hold it against you. Especially not now, when we're going to...to..." She couldn't finish that sentence, and turned away, rubbing at dry, reddened eyes. With everything that's happened already, she didn't have any tears left to cry.

"Mikaela..." He gently picked her up, cradling her in one hand. "I am sorry I could not prevent this."

"I know," she whispered, wobbling a little as she stood up in his palm, and rested her forehead against his thumb. "--I'm scared..." That was a painful admission to make. She hated to look weak in front of someone, but knew that Optimus of all people would never make fun of her for it.

Optimus curled his fingers around the distraught young human, trying to think of something to say that could possibly comfort her. "--When we pass on, our life force returns to the All Spark. I understand that most humans believe in a similar transition."

"Yes, we do. We call it heaven. It's supposed to be a paradise." Mikaela looked up at Optimus, who nodded. Paradise to an Autobot would be Cybertron during the Golden Age that Bumblebee mentioned to her once. That has to be what's waiting for him and the other Autobots, and where Bee is now. It just _has_ to. She had a sudden, overwhelming need to know more about it. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Mikaela."

"What was your world like, before the war?" She mentally winced when he seemed to freeze. "I'll understand if you don't wanna talk about it."

"No, I would like to." A small smile briefly crossed his face. "Those memories are precious to me, and I'd gladly share them with you, Mikaela."

"Thank you..." She managed a faint smile in return as he activated a hologram, and Broadside's cargo hold and it's occupants disappeared. Tall towers rose up from a rocky landscape threaded with rivers of lava, just like the first time he'd shown her and Sam Cybertron, months ago, but there was one difference now. There weren't any dead bodies scattered about, or fires burning in the distance.

Mikaela took a good look at the tower directly in front of her. Like the others, it was made of grey metal, and on both sides of it were what she guessed were pointed balconies. The view from that high must've been awesome. She looked up at the 'sky', full of hundreds of bright stars and further away were swirling clouds of...something. Cybertron must be close to a nebola, or whatever it's called. She'd never really been into astronomy.

The scene changed then. Instead of dark-colored towers, there were bright, glittering ones of all shapes, sizes and designs, reflecting a rainbow of colors. Mikaela stared in amazement. "Wh--what's that?"

"Crystal City," Optimus told her, gazing at the shining towers. Of all the cities of Cybertron, this one's destruction grieved him the most.

Jazz's quiet voice drifted up to her. "It was what you'd call our Crown Jewel."

_Was... Of course it would be nothing but rubble now, thanks to the Decepticons. Damn them! _Mikaela thought, with a spurt of rage. "It was gorgeous," she marveled as Optimus showed her different parts of the city, with dozens of Autobots and Decepticons leisurely strolling through it. The scene before her was so calm and peaceful, and the architecture was_ incredible_.

"Yes," Wheeljack somberly agreed. "Crystal City was one of our grandest achievements."

Mikaela nodded mutely, then gasped as the image of a huge ornate dome appeared. "Wow..."

"Broadside!" Ratchet suddenly spoke up, sounding very alert now. "Have we reached the State of Ohio yet?

"We're passing over Ohio now," Broadside reported. "Why?"

Optimus shut down the hologram and put Mikaela down. "What is it, Ratchet?"

"We need to land in the nearest city," he urged his leader.

"That would be Cleveland," Broadside said, checking his current location.

"Cleveland?" Sam repeated. Both he and Jazz stared, baffled, at Ratchet. "Why?"

"Someone is searching for us, or will be very shortly," Ratchet stated with certainty.

"Can you tell who it is?" Mikaela asked, nervously reaching for her grenade launcher. Were the Decepticons hunting them again?

Ratchet shook his head. "No, but I do not sense any malice toward us. Quite the opposite, in fact."

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Optimus considered his medic's assertion. Could it be Hound and Skyfire? Warpath was convinced that those two were still alive. He looked over at Simmons, who was huddled in a corner, well away from everyone else. "Have there been any new arrivals?"

Simmons answered with a disgruntled shrug. "Not that I've heard, but with everything that's going on, it'd be easy for a newbie to sneak in without us noticing."

"You're saying that we must meet with this individual, Ratchet?" Wheeljack asked, guardedly optimistic over the medic's announcement. "What of New York City?"

"--New York is not in immediate danger. Whoever is seeking us will be a great help to us," Ratchet reiterated.

Optimus wrestled with the dilemma a moment longer, then nodded again, trusting his medic's instincts. "Very well. Broadside, take us to Cleveland."

"Yes, Sir." Broadside swerved to the left, a little jerkily, and flew toward Cleveland.

_'A great help', Ratchet said. It must be someone extremely powerful, _Optimus assumed, puzzling over the mystery. The only one he could think of was Omega Supreme, who, according to Arcee and Wheeljack's account, had elected to stay behind and face Shockwave's army, in order to give the rest of the surviving Autobot a chance to escape Cybertron. Was it possible he survived that siege? It was highly unlikely, given the tremendous odds against him, but stranger things have happened. The jolt of Broadside landing pulled him out of his reverie, and brought Prowl and the others out of stasis.

Informing them of Ratchet's prediction, he ordered them to disembark when Broadside lowered the landing ramp. Ultra Magnus had been the last of Prowl's team to flee Cybertron, and Optimus asked him about Omega Supreme's fate.

"The last time I saw Omega Supreme, he was battling Vortex and Blast Off," Ultra Magnus informed him. "I did not see him fall, but the Decepticons has overrun the city."

"What do we do now?" Warpath asked, studying the deserted baseball stadium Broadside had taken them to.

"We wait," Optimus replied, looking up at the pale blue sky and sending out a message on an open link for whoever was trying to find them, and hoping with all of his spark that Ratchet was right.


	21. Chapter 21

A.N. This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones.

* * *

_Interesting procedure, _Shockwave observed as the ninth and final human jet was converted. Skywarp had had to chase down the last pair when they attempted to retreat. "As I said, Quebec City fis closer, but New York City is substantially larger."

"It will also be more heavily defended," Sixshot pointed out. "I say we go to Quebec City first, to increase our numbers before moving on to the larger cities."

"But the New York city has that giant sculpture of a female human. It is hideous! We must go there at once and demolish it!"

"We shall go to Quebec City, as Sixshot suggested," Megatron decided, with a side-long glance at Mixmaster.

/_Be __**quiet**__!_/ Scrapper and Hook both sent to Mixmaster, who for once wisely took their advice.

/_You are going to ask Megatron to bring Bonecrusher back_?/ Long Haul asked Scrapper.

/_Do you really think he's feeling charitable right now?_/ Scrapper answered, noting that Thundercracker hadn't asked their leader about Dirge, or Thrust. That surely vindicated his decision. There was also the fact that he personally didn't really care if he never saw his surly comrade again.

/_...no..._/ Long Haul had to admit, and dropped the subject.

Megatron stiffened, his sensors receiving up the summons Optimus Prime openly sent out.

"It would seem that at least one more Autobot has reached Earth," Soundwave commented, mildly surprised as he and the other Decepticons also picked up on the message requesting a meeting. This one must be an experienced spy to have landed undetected.

"Should we investigate and find out how many have arrived?" asked Shockwave.

"However many Autobots there are now, they will be dealt with later," Megatron said dismissively. _Nothing_ was going to interfere with his plans. He transformed and flew off.

"Soundwave, you come with me," Shockwave told him, changing to his helicopter mode, and waited just long enough for him and his drone Frenzy to get secure holds before taking off after Lord Megatron.

"Will we have to walk the entire way?" Hook complained when Sixshot and Ramjet flew off as well, leaving the land-bound Decepticons behind.

"No, you won't." Thundercracker turned to Barricade: It was difficult to think of him as a true Seeker, despite Megatron's proclamation. "You and your--brothers will help us transport them to Quebec City," he ordered.

"Lord Megatron did not command us to," Barricade answered, eager to be off after his leader.

"Now that Starscream's dead, Thundercracker is the new Leader of our group," Skywarp snapped at him. "So until Lord Megatron says otherwise, you will obey him."

Barricade considered that for an instance. Yes, what Skywarp said was true, according to the data he possessed on the Decepticon ranks. He bowed shallowly to Thundercracker. "Yes, Sir."

"--thank you, Skywarp," Scrapper said, rather grudgingly.

"I'll see you in Quebec, Thundercracker," Skywarp said, and teleported, not wanting to risk getting stuck carrying Mixmaster again.

"We must hurry," Barricade urged them. "Lord Megatron will not be pleased if we're delayed."

_No, we must not displease Megatron... _Thundercracker thought acidly, leading the way toward Quebec.

* * *

Thunderblast had just started down a highway in her newest alternate mode -- a Porsche that gave her a top speed of over two hundred miles per hour -- forcing any vehicles in her way off the road when she, too, received the message. _More Autobots?? Wonderful! As if my mission isn't difficult enough. _She skidded to a stop on the highway and retrieved a map of North America from her memory bank.

Her journey to the mainland had not been without incident. Two official-looking humans had noticed when a driverless boat docked itself, and came aboard to investigate. She idly wondered if their bodies had sank, or were floating in the water. Not that it mattered, of course. It was the mission she'd been given that was important. A mission she was expected to fail at. _We'll see about that, _she thought, determinedly. Now, where did that Autobot message originate from?

Cleveland, a city in Ohio. It was over three hundred miles away from her current location. The only possible way she could get there before these reinforcements of Prime's would be to teleport. Unlike her more powerful, and detestable, counterpart, Skywarp, teleporting tended to sap her energy, which normally made her reluctant to use the rare talent. Three hundred miles was a relatively short distance to travel across, however, and should have minimum affect on her.

It was also fortunate that she was on her own right now. Always careful not to teleport around other Decepticons -- last thing she needed was one of those wretches to discover her vulnerability and take advantage of it -- she also put a huge effort into concealing it during spark-merging. Her other reason for secrecy had nothing to do with self-preservation: She fetched for no one.

What could possibly lure Wheeljack away from his friends? Scientists were extremely cautious by nature, and the other Autobots and their pets will be on guard as well. The solution was obvious.

Starscream.

Surely Wheeljack will want to know what happened to his former protege, and she would be more than happy to tell him exactly how Starscream died. _The fool! _Thunderblast raged anew at his inexplicable betrayal, before regaining control of herself. The irony that he was still useful to her, even after being torn apart, was not lost on her.

How to acquire that human, Sam, from the Autobots was the real problem. _I'll have to get close enough to spy on them without being seen, and hopefully come up with a way to snare the human. _

Thunderblast changed back to robotic form, concentrated on placing herself just outside the city -- twenty-five feet above the road to avoid any mishaps with human vehicles -- and teleported. Prepared for the fall, she landed nimbly on her feet and looked toward Cleveland. It was not a particularly impressive-looking settlement. She shrugged at the Autobots odd choice in refuge. All that mattered was that they were in the city. Somewhere. The ever-cautious Autobot leader did not mention a specific meeting place in his message.

_Once I capture Wheeljack and the human, I'll wait a few mega-cycles before informing Megatron._ It won't do to make him suspicious of how quickly she accomplished her task. It will also give her a chance to spend some time with the scientist. She was looking forward to that.

Thunderblast changed back to the Porsche mode and sped down the freeway to Cleveland.

It was time to begin the hunt.

* * *

"Has anyone responded?" Sunstreaker asked after a few cycles had passed, his patience quickly wearing thin. Being apart from his twin when a battle with the Decepticons was imminent, and having to just stand about, waiting for Primus knows how long, put him on edge.

"Not yet," Optimus replied, keeping the twinge of worry out of his voice as he flicked a glance at his medic. Ratchet looked calm enough, which was a positive sign. "I'll send another message."

"I mean no disrespect, Sir, but we both know this is a waste of time," Sunstreaker stated, having seen the look he'd given Ratchet.

Wheeljack frowned disapprovingly at the young Autobot. "Would you care to explain that?"

"Gladly! There isn't anyone coming to help us!" he exclaimed, venting his pent-up frustration.

"Are you saying I lied about that?" Ratchet rounded on Sunstreaker, offended by the implied accusation.

He turned to face the medic, not backing down this time. "No, I'm saying that you've been glitching since that human of yours died."

_Oh, that was great. Just brilliant, _Sam thought, nervously watching the confrontation. The other twin wasn't kidding about a filter. For a big alien robot, Sunstreaker can be a real dick.

"Knock it off, Sun!" Mikaela yelled when Ratchet growled and stalked toward him.

Sunstreaker took up a defensive position, aiming his cannon at the medic.

"Stop, both of you! _**Now!**_" Optimus commanded, stepping between the would-be combatants. Sunstreaker obeyed first, warily lowering his arm. "Ratchet, stand down! _Ratchet!"_

_Stand down? _Ratchet looked downward, shocked to see his rotary saw out and spinning, ready to use. On a fellow Autobot?! Appalled, he hastily put away his weapon, uncomfortably aware of the stares he was getting.

Ultra Magnus moved to stand next to his leader, his expression thunderous. "This is very difficult for us all, but we must _**not**_fight amongst ourselves!"

"Damn right..." Simmons peremptorily snapped his fingers at Sam and Mikaela. "Come on, you two. Let's go inside and find a snack machine to raid. Let these guys work things out with Mr. Snooty."

Sunstreaker retracted his cannon, irritated by that insufferable little man, and embarrassed by his own behavior. Prime did _not_ look happy. _Of all the idiotic things to say..._

"I'm not hungry..." Mikaela answered; Sunstreaker's bitchiness had robbed her of her appetite. "And why are you even still with us, anyway?!"

"What, I should go home and lock myself in the basement?" Simmons snorted. "No thanks."

"You expressed a wish for food before we came here, Mikaela," Optimus reminded her.

"Good idea. You oughtta eat something, too, Sam," Jazz added, his visor sliding back up now that the crisis had passed.

"Well..." Sam hesitated and looked over at Mikaela to see what she was going to do. She in turn looked up at Optimus, who nodded encouragingly.

"We'll let you know if anyone does come while you're eating," the Autobot leader told them.

"Okay.." Mikaela resisted the urge to smack Sunstreaker's foot -- which would hurt her hand -- and headed off to the locker rooms, with Sam and Simmons following her.

Optimus waited until the humans were inside. "Sunstreaker--"

"I'm sorry, Sir. I'm not used to doing nothing but waiting for something to happen," he offered as an excuse. It sounded weak even to him.

"Some of us have waited longer."

Sunstreaker bowed his head at the rebuke. "Yes, Sir. I realize that, Sir."

_Younglings! _Optimus thought, aggravated at the lack of self-control. "Sunstreaker, you and Mirage will guard the perimeter of this stadium," he ordered. That will keep him away from Ratchet, and presumably out of trouble, for a little while. "Broadside, take them outside, please."

"Yes, Sir. right away," Broadside said, transforming to give them a ride.

"Thank you." Optimus walked over to Ratchet as the three departed the baseball field. "Are you all right, Ratchet?" he asked, concerned by his violent reaction.

"I--I'm not sure." He stared at his left arm, still appalled by what happened. "I nearly _attacked_ him!"

"Hey, I was about ready to kick Sunstreaker's aft, too." Jazz interjected. "He has that affect on people."

"That's certainly true," Arcee said, dryly.

"His brother has at times had a calming affect on him, though," Prowl remarked.

"But what if he's right? What if there is no one coming to help us?" asked Warpath, with an apologetic look at Ratchet.

"No way," Jazz staunchly declared. "Ratchet's never wrong."

Ratchet flinched, reminded of what had led to Maggie's death_. Perhaps there __**is**__ something wrong with me._

"It would reassure us to know who it is that's looking for us, or if there's more than one Autobot," Warpath persisted.

"Or how far away they are," Grapple added.

"I don't know. I normally only sense intentions of others, and rarely anything specific." He shook his head in confusion, self-doubt creeping in. "I don't know why there's been no answer to Optimus' message."

"We do not know what condition or circumstances our ally might be in," Optimus stated, looking around at everyone as he weighed his options. They all looked tense, in varying degrees. The new All Spark's small size is undoubtedly slowing Megatron down in creating his army, but this delay_ cannot_ last much longer. Every minute was crucial now. "I'll send out another message, but if he does not reply within five cycles, we'll continue to New York. Hopefully he'll make his way there and join us."

"But..." Ratchet gave up on the seemingly hopeless matter. "Whatever you think is best, Optimus," he said, and turned to Wheeljack for some desperately-needed help. "Would you run a diagnostic on me? I...do not trust myself to do it."

"Of course, Ratchet," Wheeljack readily agreed to help his friend. There had to be an explanation for his apparent mistake.

Optimus sent out a second, more urgent message as Wheeljack tended to Ratchet. The medic shifted in discomfort as his systems and processors were swiftly, and thoroughly, examined. "Well?" both he and Ratchet asked when Wheeljack was finished.

"I've found nothing amiss," Wheeljack said, sympathetically, knowing that that was not the answer Ratchet wanted to hear.

Ratchet shook his head, rejecting his verdict. There must be _something._ "Scan again."

Wheeljack took his turn at head shaking. "Ratchet, there's absolutely nothing wrong with you."

"Yes, there is," Ultra Magnus contradicted, his voice melancholy. "It's the same 'glitch' we all have. We've seen far too many friends and loved ones die."

"We'll be with them all again, soon," Huffer said in a somber monotone.

Optimus made no reply to that prediction, and looked hopefully up at the clear blue sky. _Please answer me... Please..._

* * *

/_Anything?_/ Mirage asked, finally deigning to speak to Sunstreaker.

_/No. Just some small animals. Squirrels_./

_/Don't panic and attack them! They're perfectly harmless./_

/_Very funny..._/ Sunstreaker growled.

Mirage smirked at his offended tone, then heard a faint rustling in the grass some distance away and immediately cloaked himself. _The wind, probably, or one of Sunstreaker's squirrels, but...better safe than sorry, _he decided, and silently headed in the direction of that sound to investigate.

To his surprise, it wasn't a rodent, but a Decepticon. A femme, to be exact. Sent to spy on them, he presumed. Someone to capture and interrogate. He circled around, positioning her between himself and the stadium. She constantly glanced around and scanned the area to make sure no one was sneaking up on her, as he was doing right now. Mirage stopped a few yards away from his enemy, and made himself visible, deliberately stepped on a discarded aluminum can at the same time; it would have been dishonorable to simply shoot her from behind. Very easy, but dishonorable all the same.

Startled, Thunderblast whirled at the loud crunching noise, arming her cannon as she leaped back. The Autobot in front of her already had his weapon raised, aimed directly at her chest, with a self-satisfied smile on his face. _Well, well, this is a stealthy one, _she thought, wondering just how he managed to get this close without her noticing. She warily started to edge back from the Autobot who currently had the advantage -- but not for long! -- then almost stumbled when she felt her spark surge inside it's casing. _Primus, no...__**No!**_

_What the-- _Bewildered by the strange twisting sensation in his own spark, Mirage almost lowered his cannon, but recovered and stared at the femme in shock, and disgust. _It can't be! _"Y-you.." he began, stammering a little. "This is--"

"_**Unacceptable!**__" _Thunderblast shouted, heedless of the risk that there might be other Autobots roaming nearby. "_I will __**not **__bond with some common scout!"_

_Common?! _Mirage glared at the insult, taking a step toward her as he angrily retorted, "As if I'd _ever _join sparks with Decepticon scum like _you_!"

/_Mirage! I'll be right there!_/ Sunstreaker sent, alerted by the yelling.

"_Get __**away **__from me!!_" She jerked her cannon up, shooting at him an astro-second before escaping. The missile struck Mirage in his left side, ripping through armor and knocking him off his feet.

_"_Uhh...Slaggit!" Mirage gasped in pain as he rolled over and up to his knees, determined to return that femme's 'favor', but she'd disappeared. _Rusty piece of--_

"Mirage!" Sunstreaker reached him then, both cannons out and ready. "Where is she?"

"--not here..."

"Not here?" He looked all around, his sensors at full power. "How'd she get away from _you_?"

"_How in the Pit should I know?!_" Mirage snarled at him, then struggled to gain some semblance of calm when Sunstreaker stared. "She was here one moment, then she just vanished."

Frowning, he helped Mirage up, noting the smoldering hole in his side. If the Decepticon femme was able to make herself invisible, she would have stayed long enough to finish him off. Therefore... "Wonderful. Just what we need, another teleporter like Skywarp." Sunstreaker paused, reporting this latest surprise to their leader. "Optimus is sending Broadside and Ratchet to us."

"Good.." Mirage pressed a hand against his wound, conflicted. He was furious with himself for letting that femme best him so easily...but he would also be quite happy to never set optics on her again. There was one thing he was certain of, though: No one must _ever_ find out the real reason for this shameful debacle.

Sunstreaker prudently moved back as Broadside landed and Ratchet emerged from the cargo hold.

Ratchet went straight to Mirage, ignoring the obnoxious twin's presence, and examined the injury. "--you said it was the femme, Thunderblast?"

"Yes." _So that's her designation... _Mirage had_ no_desire to learn anything more about that particular Decepticon, and feigned a casual, nonchalant tone. "I think we can safely say that she's not the one we've been waiting for, since she did attack me."

"--We're not waiting here any longer," Ratchet told them, shoulders drooping slightly as he began repairing Mirage. "As soon as our humans are ready, we'll leave for New York City."

"But... We can't!" Sunstreaker protested, startled. "What about the new Autobot?"

"He should be given more time to join us," Mirage agreed.

"No.. We can only hope he'll find his way to New York. _If _there is an Autobot out there somewhere," Ratchet amended, bitterly.

"If this is because of what I said, you should know better than to listen to me," Sunstreaker said, a brief, self-deprecating smile crossing his face. "If you're sure there's help coming, then there is."

"Let's not forget that you'd said 'someone is searching for us, or will be very shortly',"

Broadside helpfully quoted the medic's exact words. "It's possible he hasn't arrived on Earth yet."

Sunstreaker nodded. "He's right."

Ratchet glanced at the trio, encouraged by their argument. "All right. I'll ask Optimus to wait another ten cycles. That should be sufficient enough time." He turned back to Mirage's side. "Hm. This won't take long. You must have damaged Thunderblast's targeting system -- femmes are well-known for their precise aim."

Mirage shrugged noncommitally, wincing when that sent a spike of pain through his processors. That earned him a stern frown from the medic.

"Keep still!"

"Yes, Sir!" Mirage said, holding back a smile; Ratchet was sounding more like his old self.

Ratchet made a peevish sound, then concentrated on patching Mirage up, as quickly as possible.

* * *

The humans on the ground below him were rather amusing to watch. Some stood and gawked up at the jets flying far too low in the sky, making themselves ridiculously easy targets. The less slow-witted ones either ran or hid inside the tall buildings. Megatron circled over Quebec City one more time, surveying the number and sizes of vehicles, before diving down and landing in the center of the city.

Barricade and the other new Seekers hovered, dropping off the Constructicons before landing behind their leader. "What are your orders, Lord Megatron?" Barricade asked, looking around. Humans were scattering in terror, both on foot and in their cars.

"You will follow the programming I gave you," Megatron told them, then swept his gaze over Shockwave and the rest of the older Decepticons. "Bring me the humans' vehicles. The larger ones first, like this." He walked over to a white stretch limousine whose driver had lost control and crashed into a taxi.

"Yes, Lord Megatron." Shockwave bowed and, along with the others, strode off to do his bidding.

The drivers and passengers saw him coming, and frantically jumped out to run for their lives. Ignoring them, Megatron tapped the All Spark against the limousine, then moved on to the next potential Decepticon, an armored truck.

Barricade waited, watching the limousine shudder. With the sound of grinding metal it slowly changed into it's new robotic form -- one's very first transformation was always slow.

The moment it was finished and standing upright, Barricade lunged forward and tackled it, slaming it to the ground. A Sparkling this big had to be taken by surprise in order to successfully join sparks with it. He learned that the hard way when the first of his eight brothers was created.

Two of those brothers helped pin it down while Barricade yanked apart it's chest plates. The Sparkling struggled even harder, forcing him to shut down it's motor functions. Now that it was immobile, his two brothers let go and moved back, watching as he opened his own chest and leaned down to merge sparks with it.

The Sparkling made a garbled sound of pain, but quieted down within astro-seconds. As soon as the transfer was complete Barricade broke their connection and reactivated the new Youngling's motor functions, then stood and walked away.

"_Not _Barricade_!" _a thin, screechy voice hissed at him from the pavement at his feet.

Barricade look down. It was one of Soundwave's little drones. Frenzy, it was called. "Barricade is the designation I was given," he reminded Frenzy, perplexed by it's behavior. It's optics were overly bright, the small body literally vibrating with fury.

"_**Not**__ Barricade_!" Frenzy repeated, glaring malevolently up at the usurper before scampering off, back to Soundwave.

"Where did you go?" Soundwave asked Frenzy, not pleased with his running off. If Sixshot ever comes across him alone...

"Nowhere..." Frenzy muttered, then pointed at a large truck stuck in a traffic jam in a nearby intersection to distract Soundwave. "That one for Lord Megatron?"

"Yes, it will do very well, Frenzy." Soundwave started toward the truck.

_/Choose only the vehicles that are empty,_/ Thundercracker requested.

/_Why?_/ Skywarp asked, not understanding what possible difference it makes.

/_--because human passengers may interfere with their transformations,_/ was Thundercracker's perfectly reasonable excuse to spare human lives.

/_It would also create a revolting mess,_/ Mixmaster pointed out. _/I agree. The humans must be removed first._/

/_Thank you,_/ Thundercracker said, but received no answer. He didn't really expected one from the neurotic Constructicon, but there were more important things on his mind right now. Megatron won't be satisfied until every single one of the humans' machines has been given a spark, but once that's done... Maybe, just maybe, he can be convinced to leave Earth and whatever is left of it's inhabitants alone, and return to Cybertron.

Thundercracker turned a corner and started down another street, careful not to step on any humans in his way. _This one should meet with Megatron's approval, _he thought, coming across a dark green delivery van.

After making sure it was empty, he picked it up with both hands and took it to Megatron.

"Set it down there," Megatron gestured to a space in front of a side street. A noise from above drew his attention to the sky. /_Skywarp! Bring me that helicopter._/

/_Right away, Lord Megatron_./

Thundercracker looked up just as Skywarp appeared next to the helicopter, transforming in mid-air to grab hold of it, and averted his gaze away when three tiny figures began falling from it.

"Yes," he answered, judging the helicopter's size. It will make an excellent Decepticon. "Every one you can find in this city."

Skywarp nodded and teleported to begin his search.

Megatron turned his attention back to the truck, prepared to use the All Spark on it, when something collided with his left foot, almost unbalancing him.

_Is that human insane?? _Thundercracker scanned the bus that had driven into Megatron. This wasn't a deliberate attack; it's driver, an older male, was slumped over the navigational wheel, dead. Something must have broken when he saw Megatron and the Younglings.

"Lord Megatron! Do you need assistance?" Barricade asked, ready to rush to his leader's side.

"_No_!" Annoyed, Megatron kicked the bus, sending it flipping several times before landing upside down. Then he took a longer, calculating look at it and smiled.

Thundercracker flinched when the bus tumbled down the street. There were at least a dozen passengers, judging by the various screams. He grew even more alarmed at the smile on Megatron's face. _Primus... _"_Lord Megatron_!" he objected when his leader walked over to the bus, holding out the All Spark. "_There are humans inside_!"

"_All _fleshlings will die," Megatron adamantly stated, optics flashing with hatred, then tapped the Cube against the front of the bus.

Thundercracker stood frozen in place, horrified. The screams coming from inside the bus became higher pitched as it began to change. He shook off his paralysis, transformed, and fled the nightmarish scene.

/_Where are you going??_/ Skywarp called out to him over a private link as he flew by toward the south. /_Thundercracker! Stop!_/ Determined to find out what was bothering his friend, he made a sharp turn and followed. He finally caught up to him over another city.

Thundercracker changed back to robotic form and perched on the roof of a tall building, looking down at the humans below. They were placidly meandering down sidewalks, completely oblivious to the fate awaiting them. He turned around as Skywarp landed ten yards away.

"What in the Pit is wrong with you?" Skywarp demanded, marching over to him.

"This war is a disgrace! That is what's wrong with me!" Thundercracker angrily retorted.

Skywarp gave him a blank, uncomprehending look. "What are you talking about?"

Frustrated, Thundercracker reminded himself that his friend had no interest whatsoever in lesser beings. He changed tactics, then, and appealed to Skywarp's not-so-small ego. "I don't consider myself disposable. Do you?"

"Disposable?" Skywarp blinked at him, puzzled by the question.

"Yes. Disposable. Like the_ real_ Barricade was disposable. You do remember him, don't you? And what happened to him?"

"I remember..." He frowned, troubled by the implications of what Lord Megatron has done.

"It's obvious that Megatron no longer cares about us, or even Cybertron," Thundercracker continued, with as much persuasion as he could muster. "The only thing he cares about now is conquering the entire galaxy. If we die in the process..."

"He probably won't bother to bring us back to life. Or anyone else," Skywarp concluded, hands clenching into fists.

"No, he won't. He'll have a vast army, made up of over-sized drones, like 'Barricade'. They are _not _true Decepticons!" Thundercracker paused before adding, "There's a good chance we'll never see our home again, which is what we're _supposed _to be fighting for."

Skywarp's optics darkened at that unthinkable prospect, and he began pacing back and forth, the roof floor creaking under his feet. "We can't let that happen, but what can we do? Challenge him? He's too strong. What can we do?" he said again, agitated.

"There is one way to stop him," Thundercracker said, deep in thought as he looked down at the humans again. "But I need the Cube_." If only I'd stayed and not said anything about that bus. Megatron's bound to suspect me now. There had to be some way to get close enough to him..._

Skywarp was also thinking hard, about that very same problem. _This would definitely be the most reckless thing I've ever done.. Do I dare? _he asked himself, even though he already knew the answer. _Of course I do! _"Wait here."

"_No, don't_!" Thundercracker made a grab at him, but there was just the empty space now where Skywarp was standing.

* * *

Scrapper and Shockwave were leaving just as Skywarp returned to the main street. Fourteen more Younglings had been created while he was away. A fire hydrant had been smashed, and the huge Youngling that was once a bus was using the water spout to cleanse itself. Those new Seekers were in teams of three, each group finishing turning Sparklings into warriors.

Long Haul and Shortround appeared, carrying two large trucks -- there seemed to be an abundance of those -- which they deposited where Megatron directed them to before going back to the parking garage they'd come across. Skywarp watched furtively from an alley while Megatron used the Cube on the trucks, then thought of the perfect strategy and left to find another helicopter.

Half a cycle later he spotted one atop a hospital, and checked to make sure there were no humans inside. For some strange reason Thundercracker disliked killing them. He dug his fingers into the pilot's door and teleported himself and the helicopter to Megatron.

"I've got another one!" he boasted, dropping the helicopter next to a truck Megatron was about to use the All Spark on.

"Excellent." Megatron nodded approvingly; it was larger than the first one Skywarp delivered to him.

"Thank you, Lord Megatron!" Skywarp preened at the compliment, acting the eagerly dutiful Seeker. "There should be more at the port where the humans store their aircraft." He paused, as if an idea just occurred to him. "Would you like one of those next, instead, Lord Megatron? They're _much_ larger than these helicopters."

"Too large to bring here, in the middle of the city," Megatron pointed out the obvious flaw in his offer. "I'll take the Cube to them when I'm done here. Until then, I want you to make sure _all _of the aircraft stays on the ground."

"Yes, Lord Megatron. As you command." Skywarp bowed low, then teleported again. This time, though, he didn't go far. A nearby apartment complex gave him a good view of Megatron and his Younglings, and it looked almost exactly like the one where he'd talked to Thundercracker moments ago. He crouched down, watching Megatron intently, and waited for just the right moment to act.

/_Bring them faster!_/ Megatron ordered his Decepticons, impatient with the slow progress.

Barely listening to their responses, he tapped the All Spark against the truck, stepping aside to let Barricade and his brothers finish the task. Turning toward the helicopter,  
he'd just started to reach out to it when Skywarp suddenly reappeared right beside him.

Megatron jerked around, startled. "What are you--" he started to demand an explanation when the Seeker suddenly reached out, snatched the All Spark from his grasp and vanished. _**"No!!"**_

"No?" Unaware of the theft, Barricade looked over at Lord Megatron, confused by his enraged roar.

"Finish it!" Megatron snarled, opening a link to Shockwave and the other Decepticons. /_All of you spread out and find Skywarp, __**now!**__ That miserable cretin has stolen the All Spark!_/

* * *

"I'm back," Skywarp unnecessarily announced, returning to Thundercracker in the other city, Toronto.

"--please tell me you didn't do what I think you did," he said, tense and nervous

"If you think I've brought you the Cube, then, yes. I did," he replied, irreverently tossing it to Thundercracker, who neatly caught it, then broke into a grin. "It was _glorious_! I took it right out of Megatron's hand! By Primus, I wish I could've stayed to see his reaction!"

"I'm glad you didn't!" Thundercracker exclaimed. "I didn't want to involve you in this!"

"You mean you were going to take the All Spark back to Cybertron without me??" Skywarp drew himself up to his full height, insulted at being left out of Thundercracker's scheme.

"I didn't want to put you in danger!" Thundercracker paused to calm down and gather his thoughts; he expected to have at least a little time to plan this out. Megatron will have sent all his fliers out to capture Skywarp, so they'll have to move fast. Taking the Cube to Cybertron wasn't an option; Megatron had an affinity of sorts with it. _He'll follow us wherever we go and kill us, and take back the All Spark._ "We're not going back to Cybertron. Not yet," he said, slowly, turning the cube over in his hand. "--I'm going to give the All Spark to someone worthy of it."

"But... I thought you wanted it for yourself!"

"Megatron is too powerful, just like you said. We wouldn't stand a chance against him," Thundercracker said, thinking, _But there is someone who can._

"Someone worthy..." Skywarp repeated, tilting his head quizzically. "Not Shockwave; he doesn't recharge without Megatron's permission. Soundwave? Or Scrapper?"

"No.. None of _them_." Thundercracker tucked the Cube safely away under his armor and faced his friend. "It would be better if you didn't come with me, Skywarp. They'll feel even more threatened by two of us."

"They--" Skywarp trailed off, dumbfounded, as he realized who Thundercracker was referring to. "You have _got_ to be joking!!"


	22. Chapter 22

A.N. Ergh. This chapter turned out a bit longer than previous ones.

* * *

"No, I'm not."

"You can't just _give _the All Spark to _Optimus Prime_," Skywarp objected strenuously. "You just _**can't**_!"

"He's the only one who can stand up to Megatron!" Thundercracker reasoned, keeping watch for any unwelcome visitors.

"But...but he's an _**Autobot**_!"

"Yes, I am aware of that," he said, holding on to his patience. Skywarp made Prime sound like a walking plague of rust! "There's no time to argue over this. We can't stay here -- we're too close to Quebec City."

_Unbelievable! _Skywarp clapped a hand to his head. _He's actually __**serious**__ about handing the Cube over to our enemy! _He briefly considered getting the Cube back and returning it to Megatron, but that would mean betraying Thundercracker. He'd rather tear out his own spark casing than do that. There was also the fact that Megatron was _not_ the forgiving type, and would have them both executed immediately if he ever catches them.

_Would he do it himself, or order those precious drones of his to? _Skywarp's anger flared up at his old leader. Thundercracker was right about one thing. There really isn't anyone else they could go to, he realized, with a great deal of reluctance. The plan was so bizarre, though, even by his standards. "...I would never have believed we'd actually help the Autobots. Not in a million vorns."

"Neither did I." Thundercracker relaxed a bit; for a moment there he wasn't sure what Skywarp was thinking. "Things have changed now."

"That's true, I suppose..." The distant sound of jet engines reached his audio receptors "Here comes two of Megatron's drones now," Skywarp growled, relieved that Ramjet wasn't with them. He'd hate to have to kill his friend. "I'll take care of them."

"They'll only delay us until the rest of them come. We can't risk losing the All Spark." Thundercracker urged him. "We've got to get away. Far away."

"All right..." Skywarp reluctantly agreed, though he was very tempted to leave these three unwelcome visitors in piles of twisted scrap metal, to let Megatron know what he thought about the new 'Seekers'. "I'll take us further south. To that cave system where Soundwave found the Cube, I think. Did Prime happen to mention where he's at? I didn't really listen to his messages."

"No, but I recorded the second one. I'll analyze it as soon as we're someplace safe."

"Fine, but I'm not letting you meet those Autobots alone and end up as target practice!" Skywarp grabbed hold of Thundercracker's arm and teleported.

* * *

"What's going on?" Sam asked as he and Simmons stepped out onto the baseball field. Broadside had returned with Mirage, Ratchet and that dumbass, Sunstreaker. All the Autobots were standing around in a circle, having what looked like a lively debate.

"You're asking me?" Simmons went back to his phone call.

Sam wondered if that cell phone was permanently stuck to his head. At least he was being helpful, and trying to find out where those damn Decepticons are now. But did he have to be so snarky all the time? Sam turned around and headed back inside to tell Mikaela. "Hey, Kaela!" he yelled, pounding on the door of the womens restroom. "You gonna be long? We're having a group meeting!"

"I'll be right out!" she called back to him.

"Ok!" Sam sprinted back outside. Maybe Optimus finally heard from that mystery Autobot! "What's up?" he asked, out of breath when he reached them.

"We might hang out here awhile longer," Jazz told him.

"You guys had better go back to Plan A." Simmons closed his phone with a loud snap. Why do those tin bastards have to be so damned unpredictable? "Looks like Sniffer was right. About New York, at least. Megatron and his thugs didn't go there after all. They're in Quebec City now, in Canada, and one guess what they're doing?"

_No..._ Ratchet took a faltering step back, shocked by the news.

"I think that settles the debate," Ultra Magnus grimly commented into the silence that followed Simmons' announcement. His arms twitched in anticipation of an imminent battle.

"Yes." Optimus moved to his medic's side, worried over this latest blow to his confidence. /_Ratchet?_/

/_I don't know what to say!_/ he replied, confounded. /_I didn't sense_ _any peril to that city_!/

/_I need you to stay calm and focused_/ Optimus exhorted him. Everyone had to keep their wits about them, especially at a time like this.

Ratchet bleakly inclined his head. /_Yes, Optimus. I'll try..._/

/_Ratchet_--/ Optimus started to say more to encourage him when he received a message through the link he'd left open.

/_Optimus Prime. Where are you?_/

His body went rigid in surprise by the sudden communication. "_By Primus!_" he said aloud, elated at finally being contacted. "He's answered me!"

That drew surprised exclamations from the other Autobots.

"_I knew it!_" Jazz crowed. "Told ya Ratchet was right!"

"Yeah, you did!" Sam agreed, grinning broadly.

"Is it Omega Supreme?" Sunstreaker eagerly asked.

"No... I don't know who it is." Optimus frowned, troubled by the deepening mystery. _/Who is this?_/

"It could be Skyfire!" Warpath said, excited. "You've never met any of the Seekers, have you?"

"Only Starscream," Optimus confirmed. "It was not a pleasant encounter."

"Undoubtedly," Wheeljack blandly remarked.

/_Who are you?_/ Optimus asked again over the link, but received no answer. _Strange..._If it was indeed Skyfire, where was Hound? He decided to take a chance and provided his current coordinates. His frown deepened when the link was broken immediately afterward.

"Christ, now what?" Simmons testily answered his phone when it rang. "Yes?" He listened for all of six seconds. "_What?!_ What do you mean, they're_ gone_? What the _hell_ are they up to?"

"The Decepticons have left Quebec City?" Prowl blinked, puzzled. That made no sense to him. Given the number of vehicles there, it should take Megatron half an orn, at least, to modify so many.

"This is just terrific!" Simmons said through clenched teeth. ""Let me know where they all turn up." He hung up and stuck the phone back in his jacket pocket. "Yeah, the Cons just up and left the city. Took off in every direction."

"They must be hunting for the new Autobot," Optimus speculated, concerned for his safety.

"And subsequently us. We should relocate at once," Prowl advised his leader.

"They might come here?" Nervously excited, Warpath scanned the sky, and was the first to spot the glint of grey metal that suddenly appeared high above the stadium. Seekers, two of them. Neither of which was Skyfire. "_**Incoming!!**_" he warned, firing his cannons at the same time. The Seekers vanished before his missiles got close to them. "_Slag it! _One of them's Skywarp!"

"_What's going on?_" Mikaela yelled out to the Autobots, finally emerging from the stadium itself. All of them were in fighting mode, face guards up and weapons out. All except for Broadside, who'd transformed and took to the air. It gave her a feeling of dread, and Mikaela walked fast toward them, grabbing the grenade launcher she'd had slung over her shoulder. If the Decepticons show up, she was damn well going to be ready for them, too.

"Mikaela, go back inside now. You, too, Sam. Agent Simmons," Optimus ordered, nodding to Jazz to provide them with a safe escort over the short distance.

_Oh, no..._ Mikaela stopped in her tracks, and started to ask 'How many?' when she heard a loud metallic clanking noise directly behind her.

"_**Mikaela!**_"

That shout, and the horrified look that had come over Optimus' face, was more than enough warning for her, and Mikaela made a mad dash toward him.

/_Get that human!!_/ Skywarp urgently told Thundercracker.

/_A little warning would have been appreciated!_/ Thundercracker complained, darting forward to snatch up the human.

"_**Nooo!**_" Mikaela shrieked as she was grabbed, the grenade launcher flying from her hands. "_**Optimus!!**_"

/_Surprise is always the best approach,_/ was Skywarp's casual answer. /_You know the Autobots won't fire on us as long as you're holding one of their pets._/

/_...no, they won't..._/ Thundercracker had to agree with his friend's ruthless logic, but this tactic will also make it even more difficult to convince these Autobots that they weren't here to fight. All fifteen of them had their weapons trained on him and Skywarp.

_"No..._" Optimus uttered, his systems nearly freezing up at the sight of her in the enemy's grasp.

"_No, no, no, no, __**no**__!" _Sam yelled, and started to run toward the Decepticons. What he was going to do when he reached them, he had no clue.

_Oh, Primus... Not Mikaela_! Jazz quickly restrained Sam, his hands forming a cage around him.

_Jesus Christ! _Eyes bulging, Simmons turned his back toward the Decepticon holding the Banes girl. _I can't watch this..._

"Lemme go!" Sam demanded, trying to pry two fingers apart.

"No way. I'm not letting 'em get their mitts on you, too!" Jazz stated, keeping a firm grip on his human.

For a few seconds Mikaela couldn't breathe -- memories of the last time she'd been caught by a Decepticon flooded back. _**Oh, God... Not again**_!! She sucked in a gasping breath, threw her head back and screamed wildly.

"_We've gotta help her, J_azz_!_" a panicked Sam yelled. "_**Mikaela**__!_"

/_Optimus! How're we gonna stop them?_/ Jazz asked, a hopeless, sinking feeling in his spark.

/_--I don't know.._./

"You _**coward**_!" Ultra Magnus growled, advancing menacingly on the Seeker. "Release Mikaela Banes!"

"Stop right there, Autobot!" Skywarp ordered, aiming his own cannon at Ultra Magnus.

/_Let me handle this, Skywarp, please, and don't provoke them any further_/ Thundercracker implored, glancing down at the hysterical human in his grasp. "...stop that..."

/_Fine..._/ Skywarp shrugged, lowering his cannon, but keeping it ready to use, just in case.

"Stay back, Magnus," Optimus ordered, his gaze fixed on Mikaela. The Decepticon could crush her at any second, and she was all too aware of that fact. Her face was stark white, and her lower lip had been bitten hard enough to draw blood.

/_Thank you_./ Thundercracker moved forward, away from Skywarp: It would probably help for the Autobots to know he wasn't about to vanish with their human. "I'll let her go, if you promise not to attack us," he told the Autobot Leader.

_Ohmygod.. He's gonna kill me! Squash me like a fucking grape! _Mikaela gulped back a sob and looked at Optimus. Whatever the hell the Decepticon was saying to him had to be a lie, and she silently begged him not to fall for it.

..._wait a s_ec... Sam's eyes went wide as he recognized that one Seeker's voice, and he looked up at Jazz again. "_Jazz!_ He's the one who asked me a bunch of questions, and dumped me in a bush!"

"Yeah, it is. Thundercracker." Jazz quickly let Optimus know over their private link. Was it too much too hope for that this Decepticon really wasn't going to kill Mikaela?

Optimus flicked a glance at Jazz and Sam in acknowledgement. /_He's_ _also the one who answered my message_./ He slowly approached, trying to remain calm despite the contracting of his spark. What in the Pit were Thundercracker and Skywarp up to? "What do you want?" he bluntly asked.

"Nothing," Thundercracker replied, still holding the female human in front of him. At least she was quiet now. "I came here to give you something. A--peace offering, you could call it."

"A peace offering? From a Decepticon?" Sunstreaker said scathingly. "Why should we believe you?"

Skywarp sneered back at the Autobot. "Your pet human's still alive, isn't it?"

Optimus looked from one Seeker to the other, observing Thundercracker's dismayed expression over the sniping. Was it possible he's telling the truth? It was difficult to believe. Decepticons were not known for their honesty, and yet-- There was one way to find out, and he prayed to Primus that he wasn't making a huge mistake.

"Very well." Watching the Seeker closely, Optimus put away his ion blaster. "Let Mikaela go, unharmed, and we won't attack, unless threatened," he stressed, gesturing to his Autobots to stand down as well.

A small whimper escaped Mikaela, and she shook her head frantically, but Optimus wasn't looking at her now. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the inevitable.

"_**No!**_" Ratchet spoke up then, optics darkening with wrath. "_Optimus! They killed Ironhide!!_"

"That was a misunderstanding," Thundercracker said stiffly, glancing at Skywarp. /_Retract your cannon!_/

/_Oh, all right..._/ Skywarp grumbled before doing what Thundercracker asked. "_Now _do you believe us?" he asked the Autobots, crossing his arms over his chest. This standoff was really starting to bore him.

/_I know how you feel, Ratchet, but we have no choice. Mikaela's life depends on us!_/ Optimus desperately appealed to him.

Ratchet hesitated for a long moment, struggling with the powerful urge to let loose his rotary saw on those two. Like Optimus said, Mikaela's life was at stake, but if they're lying... He got control of his anger and put both his saw and cannon away. The other Autobots followed his example, some more slowly than others. Like him, though, they remained extremely suspicious of the Decepticons.

_Progress, at last! _Thundercracker thought, his spark pulsing a little slower now that the immediate danger seemed to have passed. There was still a chance one of them might shoot, though. Autobots didn't seem to be as well-disciplined as Decepticons, especially that bright yellow one. Then again, he very much doubted that Optimus Prime tortures his soldiers into obedience, as Megatron was known to do.

Optimus turned back to the Decepticons. "Let her go, please. She's frightened," he added, in case that might help sway Thundercracker.

Thundercracker glanced at the human again. That really wasn't a healthy color she'd turned, he noted with a twinge of guilt. Still wary of the angry-looking Autobots, he crouched down and set her on the ground.

Mikaela's legs gave out from under her and she toppled over, gasping as she landed on her back.

"_Mikaela_ _Banes!_" Wheeljack hurried over to her, ignoring the Decepticon who'd backed away. "_Don't move!_"

"Wha--what just happened?" Mikaela whispered, staring blankly up at Wheeljack.

"That Seeker, Thundercracker, released you," Wheeljack explained, running a scan on her for any injuries she might have sustained.

She turned her head slightly and saw the Decepticon standing right behind Wheeljack, peering down at her. _I really am in the Twilight Zone..._ was the first thought that popped into her mind.

"You can turn around now, Simpson. It's over...I think..." Sunstreaker told the man.

"Yeah?" Simmons turned back around, relieved to see that girl still in one piece, but not about to let them know that. "--about time.." he grouched. "And it's Agent Simmons to you."

Sunstreaker shrugged. "Simmons. Simpson. Whatever."

"Is she all right, Wheeljack?" Optimus asked, his fear returning as he came up behind the scientist, with Ratchet, Prowl, Arcee and Warpath a stride behind him. The rest of the Autobots were instructed to spread out and surround the two Seekers, as well as keep watch for any more Decepticons, as a precaution.

"I didn't damage her," Thundercracker insisted.

"No, you only held her hostage!" Arcee disdainfully pointed out.

"Of course. It kept all of you Autobots from firing at us," Skywarp replied, casually strolling over to Thundercracker.

_He just...let me go?_ Mikaela sat upright. _He blackmailed Optimus! But why?_

"She was not injured," Wheeljack announced, finishing the scan. _At least not physically_, he silently added.

_**Thank Primus!**_ Jazz finally let Sam go, following close behind when he ran over to Mikaela.

Wheeljack held out a finger to help her to her feet. "Try walking, Mikaela."

"Okay, sure.. Thanks." She gratefully grabbed hold of his finger and hauled herself up. Taking a couple wobbly steps, Mikaela threw herself into Sam's arms the second he reached her. "_God_, Sam... I was sure he was going to..." She made a choking noise and buried her face in his shirt.

"I know, but you're alright, Kaela...you're okay..." Sam tried to reassure Mikaela, hugging her. It sure the hell didn't surprise him that she was shaking like a leaf. He looked over her shoulder and glared daggers at those two bastards. "Why the hell did you come here?!"

"I think we'd all like an answer to that question," Optimus said in a steely tone; whatever their intentions are, he was _not_ going to forgive them for terrifying Mikaela. "You said you had a peace offering for us?"

"Yes, I did say that." Thundercracker looked around at the others, wavering for an astro-second, then, with quiet resolve, pulled apart the armor plating in his chest. Skywarp crossed his arms and watched, expressionless, as the All Spark was taken out and presented to Optimus Prime.

His mouth fell open in shock, speech deserting Optimus. It took a moment to get his vocal processor to work properly. "Y-you brought us the Cube?"

"Yes," Thundercracker said simply, and held it out to the Autobot Leader.

"What? What is it?" Sam asked, letting go of Mikaela when she seemed to get a grip on herself. The Decepticon was too damn tall. He couldn't make out what it had.

"He...he's got the All Spark..." Jazz answered, he and the others staring in stunned amazement.

Mikaela snapped her head around, eyes widening in disbelief. _"He __**what?**_"

"The All Spark..." Ratchet echoed, his optics blinking rapidly.

"My God.." Mikaela breathed, glancing over at the medic. If he were human, she'd swear he'd be crying. Her gaze shifted to Optimus; he looked just as affected. Probably even more so than he showed, knowing him. She was feeling a little light-headed herself. _Ironhide...and __**Bee**__!_

--_Is this truly happening? _Optimus wondered, afraid that this was some kind of monstrous trick on the Decepticon's part. His hand trembled as he reached out to take the Cube from Thundercracker, and he almost dropped it before steadying himself. He closed his fingers tightly around the Cube and pressed it to his chest, over his spark, a tremendous wave of relief sweeping through him. "_**Thank you!**_**"**

"You should be thankful," Skywarp snidely remarked.

Optimus narrowed his optics at the pair of Seekers, confused by their gesture. Thundercracker looked pensive, while Skywarp was sullen. _Just what are their motives in doing this_, he wondered, and bluntly asked them. "How, and why?"

"It was easy!" A wicked grin crossed Skywarp's face. "I waited until Megatron was occupied using the All Spark. He never saw me coming. No one ever does."

"So you decided to go steal it from Megatron? Just like that?" Arcee asked, looking up at the tall Seeker skeptically.

"It wasn't on a whim," Skywarp replied defensively. "I did plan it out...a couple cycles in advance."

"Could somebody translate all this into English?" Mikaela implored. "I'd really like to know what the hell's going on!"

"Yes, of course, Mikaela." Optimus glanced apologetically at her. "Skywarp took the Cube from Megatron." A sense of foreboding crept into his spark as he imagined Megatron's rage over the loss. What will his reaction be when he discovers who has possession of the All Spark now. Optimus immediately begin contemplating ways to prevent Megatron's inevitable rampage. "How many new Decepticons did Megatron create?"

"I don't know the exact number, but there must be at least twenty now, including eight new Seekers," Thundercracker informed the Autobot Leader. "But their armor is much weaker than ours."

"That will be to our advantage in a battle, but these two still haven't said _why _they stole the Cube," Prowl stated, scrutinizing them. "Why did you rebel against Megatron?"

"I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you," Skywarp aloofly retorted.

"Skywarp..." Thundercracker shifted, uncomfortable when his friend shrugged irritably and looked away.

"Perhaps you would care to explain, Thundercracker?" Optimus asked the more level-headed of the pair.

"I--don't agree with the war on humans."

"You don't _agree_?" Ratchet repeated, his optics flashing angrily. "Why, then, did you follow Starscream here?!"

"We didn't know at that time that he'd lied to us about the All Spark being destroyed," Thundercracker contended. "And Starscream wasn't as vicious as Megatron is now. He--" Thundercracker stopped short, his wings sagging as he recalled what his former leader had done.

"What did Megatron do?" Optimus asked, stepping closer to the Seeker, and warning his Autobots not to tell these two how the new All Spark was created. Whatever had been done obviously troubled Thundercracker a great deal, but that didn't mean that he, or his friend, can be trusted.

"...he used the All Spark on a large transport vehicle," Thundercracker said in a dull monotone. "There were many passengers inside it."

"But...that would... " Mikaela covered her mouth, both she and Sam turning a shade of green as they realized what happened to those people.

Optimus nodded gravely, having witnessed examples of his brother's brutality in the past, then glanced down at Sam and Mikaela. "Are you all right?" he asked, concerned by their pallor, and the faint dark smudges beneath their eyes. No one so young should have to endure so much.

"Yeah... We'll live..." Sam rasped, taking long, deep breaths.

"Why are we are still standing here, talking?" Skywarp complained, growing tired of hearing about humans. "Megatron's drones will find us if we stay here much longer."

"He's right," Thundercracker said. "You have to take the All Spark back to Cybertron. Megatron will follow."

"Yes, but not before ordering his soldiers to stay behind and exterminate the human race, out of revenge," Optimus frowned at Skywarp when he made a huffing sound. That one was behaving like a petulant Youngling, but at least Thundercracker seemed able to exert some influence on him. He opened the link to Megatron, and wasn't surprised when he was met with a blank emptiness. Megatron had erased his end of the link. Prematurely, as it's turned out.

"He probably would," Thundercracker solemnly agreed. "What are you going to do?"

"I intend to discourage him from killing any more humans," Optimus replied with steely determination. "I'll need a copy of the link you have to Megatron, however, Thundercracker."

"You can have it. I'll never use it again," he staunchly declared, sending it to him over the link he used to contact Optimus Prime.

_**Why**__ is he still helping them? _Skywarp wondered, almost growling in frustration, then realized what Thundercracker must have planned. He was manipulating the Autobots into killing Megatron for him, just like he'd said he would. Shockwave must also die, of course. Maybe even Soundwave, too, if he tries to interfere. _Once they're dead, I'll steal the All Spark back from Optimus Prime, then Thundercracker and I will rule Cybertron! _It was so obvious now that he thought about it, and his spark swelled with pride over his friend's cleverness.

"Broadside, please transform," Optimus requested. "I'll contact Megatron once we're away from this city."

"Where will you go?" Thundercracker asked out of curiosity; this seemed as good a place as any for a battle.

"We're going back to Mammoth Cave for Bumblebee, and then to Grand Junction, Colorado, for Ironhide," Optimus answered, his mouth lifting in a smile when Mikaela's face lit up. Ratchet, on the other hand, looked as if he still couldn't quite believe this was really happening.

"I can take you there," Skywarp unexpectedly volunteered.

/_You will?_/ Thundercracker asked him, surprised.

"Say _what_?" Sam gaped up at Jazz, who was still translating, then at the Decepticon. "Just what _is _the deal with you?" he asked, boldly taking a couple steps forward. "Why're you helping us?"

/_Yes._/ Unfazed by the baffled stares from the Autobots, it was being addressed by the lowly human that irritated Skywarp. He would have liked to have simply stepped on the creature, but that would upset Thundercracker. So he answered in it's own language, and spoke slowly to it. "Because-I-can-get-them-all-there-_much-_faster-than-their-flier-could."

"_Knock it off_!" Jazz snarled, furious with Skywarp for treating Sam like an imbecile.

"...fucker..." Sam muttered, red-faced with anger and embarrassment.

"God, tell me about it," Mikaela whispered, putting a supportive arm around Sam. "This guy's an even bigger asshole than Sunstreaker."

"_Why _are you offering to help us," Optimus repeated Sam's question, glaring at the offensive Seeker.

/_Is it too much to ask that you be a__** little**__ civil to them_?/ Thundercracker sent to him.

/--_If you insist_.../ Skywarp gestured to his friend. "I'm helping you because he wanted to," he told the Autobots, and that was the only explanation they were going to get from him. "Would you rather take the slow way to that cave?"

/_This could all be a trap for us, Sir,_/ Prowl cautioned his leader when Optimus looked thoughtfully at Skywarp.

/_We could find ourselves right in the midst of the other Decepticons,_/ added Ratchet, with a trace of cynicism.

/_No.. Megatron would __**never**__ let anyone else touch the All Spark, let alone allow it to leave his sight,_/ Optimus replied with absolute certainty. Astonishing as it was, this pair has indeed left the Decepticon army.

"It would save us time, as he said. Thank you, Skywarp," Optimus said, cautiously accepting his aid. Just how much influence Thundercracker had over his friend remained to be seen. Ordering everyone inside the shuttle. many of them casting still-suspicious glances at the two Decepticons as they obeyed, he tucked the Cube away under his armor, keeping it well away from his own spark. /_Sunstreaker, would you inform Sideswipe that we have the All Spark, and ask him and Major Lennox to meet us in Grand Junction._/

/_Yes, Sir!_/ Sunstreaker cheerfully replied, grateful at being allowed to share the amazing news with his twin himself.

"Thank you," Optimus said again to the Seekers, who silently nodded back to him, before following the others up the landing ramp.

"Well... looks like you were right after all, Sniffer," Simmons remarked, settling down for what he hoped wasn't going to be a bumpy ride.

"--what?" Ratchet blinked at the man, nonplussed.

_Did he fall asleep or something? _Simmons wondered. "Someone was looking for us, and they've sure helped alot. So far."

* * *

/_So_ _Thundercracker is with Skywarp.._/ Megatron said in a low growl upon receiving Barricade's report. It wasn't entirely unexpected, however. Those two were almost as close as a bonded pair. Of course, he would have killed one of them if a bond had formed. Distractions like those were not tolerated.

/_Yes, Lord Megatron. But he and Skywarp were gone before we were able to come within striking range of them._/

/_Continue searching,_/ he ordered. /_They're still on this planet, somewhere./_

/_Yes, Lord Megatron._/

The more times Skywarp is forced to teleport, the sooner he'll need to recharge. Those two won't be able to hide much longer, and it was time to make it even more difficult for them. Megatron dove down and transformed, landing on a wide ledge near the top of a snow-covered mountain. The observation tower the humans had built there was quickly reduced to scrap. "Disgusting," he muttered at the substance melting into slush under his feet.

/_**Ramjet!**_/

/_Y-yes, Lord Megatron?_/

He almost smiled at the instant, and _very_ fearful, response. Ramjet was intelligent enough to have some inkling of why he was being summoned. How amusing. He sent the Seeker coordinates to his location. /_Come here._/

/_I''m on m-my way now, Lord Megatron_./

/_Good._/ Megatron cut the link and, during the four cycles it took Ramjet to reach him, imagined all the damage he intended to inflict on Skywarp and Thundercracker before executing them. He watched, tapping two fingers against a boulder as Ramjet hovered for a moment before transforming.

"Lord Megatron..." Ramjet bowed low, the perfect picture of obedience.

Megatron regarded him silently for a long cycle, making the Seeker fidget nervously. "Did you know what they were planning?" he asked in a harsh, threatening tone.

"_**No**_!" he instantly denied, and talked as fast as he could to convince Megatron of his sincerity. "Theydidn'ttellmeanything! IhadnoideatheyweregoingtostealtheCube! IwouldhavewarnedyouifI'dknown!"

"Hm..." Megatron continued the finger-tapping, sparks and small chunks of rock flying, while debating whether or not to believe him. "It is possible," he said with a nod, "that even your brothers are aware of how _worthless_ you are, and wisely chose not to confide in you."

"I am _not _worthless!" Ramjet drew himself up, stung by the insult. "Lord Megatron, I've always been loyal and served you well!" he proudly declared. Maybe he did have one or two inadequacies, but doesn't everyone?

"Such fervor is very compelling, Ramjet." Megatron did smile then, with a show of sharp metal teeth. "I've decided to give you a chance to prove your loyalty."

"What must I do, Lord Megatron?" he asked, mentally bracing himself. A smile like that from his leader usually preceded something particularly vicious.

"It's a simple mission: You are going to convince Skywarp and Thundercracker that you've also defected, and retrieve the All Spark for me."

Ramjet frowned dubiously. "They're not going to believe me."

"Oh, I think they will," Megatron remarked, flexing his claws in preparation. "Especially since I'll have punished you for their betrayal."

"P-pun-ished?" he stuttered with growing fear, an astro-second before Megatron attacked.

Seizing Ramjet by the neck, Megatron lifted him off his feet and slammed him forcefully against the boulder. A muted cry of pain burst from the Seeker as his armor cracked against the unyielding stone. "Yes, punished," Megatron repeated, easing his grip only to move it lower. All ten fingers sliced through metal, and the wiring beneath, on both sides of Ramjet's spark casing.

With another, louder, cry, Ramjet gave up all pretense of submitting and sought to defend himself, reforming his right arm into a cannon, which he aimed at his leader's head.

Secretly pleased that Ramjet was fighting back now -- Megatron kept him pinned against the boulder with his left hand and used his right to grab the cannon, shoving it up away from him just as Ramjet fired.

"S-Slagger!" Panicking, Ramjet tried to yank his cannon back down, but Megatron was stronger. He resorted to a different tactic,then -- a headbutt -- and a satisfying 'crunch' was heard. Unfortunately, the blow seemed to have little affect on Megatron, angering him even more instead.

Ignoring the pain of badly-dented armor compressing his left optic, Megatron turned and threw Ramjet off the ledge. He made rather interesting yelping sounds, striking several large rocks in his path, before landing in a snowdrift at the bottom of the mountain where he lay prone, temporarily senseless.

A distant rumbling noise caught Megatron's attention then, and he looked up. _By the Pit! _He quickly transformed and took off, narrowly avoiding the avalanche that roared through the spot where he'd been standing. Ramjet disappeared from view as the snow swept over buried him.

Annoyed by the interruption, Megatron flew low over the area, scanning to locate Ramjet. There he was, under a thick layer of the frozen water. A single shot melted enough of it to reveal the wounded Seeker. He dropped to twenty feet above the ground and changed back to robotic mode, dropping down beside Ramjet.

"Stop!" Ramjet kicked feebly as Megatron dragged him up from the snow by one leg.

Megatron responded by flinging Ramjet down onto his front and planting one foot on his lower back. Leaning over, he raked his claws over the Seeker's wings, leaving three-inch deep gauges and drawing a scream from his victim. "Have you called out to your brothers, begging them to come save you?"

"_No_! I won't help you kill them!" Ramjet shouted with reckless defiance. Raking both wings again, Megatron deepened the gauges and shredded circuitry. Ramjet shrieked and, damaged armor rattling, nearly succeeded in throwing him off.

Quickly regaining his balance, Megatron put more of his weight on Ramjet's back.

The metal plating groaned, threatening to buckle under the tremendous pressure. "Don't lie," he growled, sinking his claws into the seams in the Seeker's armor. "We both know the real reason you're not contacting them."

"I-I don't know what y-you mean!" he stubbornly insisted, writhing in pain as one of those fingers grazed his spark casing.

"Yes, you do. Like everyone else, your brothers view you as a nuisance," Megatron said, optics gleaming with triumph as he felt the Seeker go still. "Why else would they conceal their plans to steal the All Spark from you."

"_No, no, no..." _Ramjet resumed struggling, with much less energy now.

"_If _they were to come, I'm certain it would only be out of pity," he continued, hooking his fingers around a section of armor plating and twisting, ripping it off Ramjet's body. That produced a beautiful howl from the Seeker. "Now, process _this_, if you can: Who is the real slagger? I, or the _dear_ brothers who found it so easy to abandon you to _this_?" Another piece of armor was removed.

Ramjet howled again, in agony and in a sudden burst of rage. It was true, he realized, his fingers carving trenches in the frozen ground. This was all _their _fault, Skywarp's and Thundercracker's. Taking the Cube, and leaving him to face Megatron's wrath alone. He dropped his head to the ground with a thud; it felt like his spark was twisting inside his chest. _"_I h-_**hate them!"**_

Megatron paused, a third armor plate in his grasp. "Yesss. Say it again!"

"I. _**Hate. **_Them!"

"You know what you have to do, then, don't you?" Megatron asked, releasing the metal plating, after giving it a sharp tug. "For revenge, and to bring glory back to the Decepticon Empire."

"_Yes_!" Ramjet abruptly lifted his head, rotating it to look up at his leader, "I'll get the Cube back for you, even if I have to rip them apart to do it!" he vowed.

Megatron's expression hardened. "Do_ not _forget that retrieving the All Spark is your first priority! To succeed, you must convince them that you've been been cast out of the Decepticon ranks. Can you manage that?"

"Yes, Lord Megatron," he responded, growling at his leader's skeptical tone. "I _will_ bring the All Spark back to you!"

"Good." Satisfied, for now, Megatron removed his foot, using it knock Ramjet over onto his back when he started to rise. "I am not done with you."

"..yes, Lord Megatron." Ramjet closed his optics, wondering what else his leader had in mind for him. _I'll make them regret they were ever sparked!_

Crouching next to him, Megatron yanked open his chest armor to reach the pain receptors and disable them; he can't very well begin his mission if he's offline, after all. Roughly turning Ramjet back over again, he finished preparing him for Skywarp and Thundercracker.

One cycle later he transformed and flew off in a south-west direction, leaving the crippled Seeker underneath a tree.

If Ramjet were to fail - and Megaton fully expected him to -- Skywarp and Thundercracker would be forced to kill their last surviving brother. An action that was certain to cause them even more pain, especially for Thundercracker. Megatron was reasonably certain that he'll want to use the All Spark to resurrect Ramjet. Skywarp, being far less sentimental, will argue against it, conveniently creating further conflict between them. One of them, most likely Skywarp, will then be tempted with an offer of mercy, in exchange for returning the Cube.

Pleased with that scenario, Megatron flew lower as he came across yet another human city. He opened another link while circling over the city called Hartford, observing hundreds of vehicles, all waiting to be assimilated into his new army. /_Thunderblast._/

/_**What??**_/

/_I suggest you modify your vocals, if you wish to keep them,_/ he rumbled threateningly at her.

/_...forgive me, Lord Megatron. I--I require more time to locate the Autobots._/

/_What is the matter with you?_/ he demanded -- she still sounded very angry, and...frightened? /_Have you been captured?_/

/_**No!! **__..no, Lord Megatron._/ Her voice crackled with the effort to control herself. /_I simply need more time. I will find them!_/

Megatron was silent for a moment, then decided to question the aggravating femme more thoroughly later.

/_I have another , more important, mission for you. Skywarp and Thundercracker have turned traitor. If you happen to encounter them, inform me immediately, and do all you can to delay them._/

/_Skywarp and Thundercracker?_/ Thunderblast repeated in a calmer, puzzled tone. /_What did they do?_/

/_That does not concern you. Just do as you are told._/ Megatron growled, and cut the link before she could respond. _Once Thunderblast is no longer useful... _He made another pass over Hartford, stopping at a large church and landing. The fleshlings in the street below stared up at him in horror, then fled as fast as their tiny legs allowed. He smiled, amused, as he watched the stampede. Humans were so easily terrified. Several of them proved to be either incredibly brave, or terminally stupid, by stopping to take pictures of him.

Megatron brought his hands together to form his fusion cannon, to kill the group of fleshlings with one blast, when he felt someone attempting to open a link to him. It was--Thundercracker? This was sooner than he'd anticipated; he'd specifically told that impatient fool to wait five cycles before contacting his brothers, so he'd be closed to expiring when they reached him. Still.. apparently seeing Ramjet's current condition was enough to make Thundercracker realize the huge mistake he'd made. He opened the link.

/_You've decided to surrender so quickly, have you?_/ Megatron smugly asked, but it wasn't Thundercracker on the other end of the link.

/_No. Have you_?/ answered Optimus Prime.

/_**You!!**_/ Shocked, Megatron's arms jerked as he fired, missing the humans and leaving a small crater where a motorcycle was parked.

/_Yes. Me. Thundercracker was kind enough to share his link to you with me_./

_He went to Prime?! _Megatron disengaged his cannon, the humans forgotten for now. /_This is __**impossible**_!!/

/_It's quite obviously __**not **__impossible, and that's not all that I've received from Thundercracker._/ There was a trace of mockery in Optimus' voice, and an image was transmitted to Megatron through the link -- the image of the small All Spark lying in his palm.

/_**NO!**_/ Megatron roared in denial at the extent of the Seekers' treachery. /_It's __**mine**__!_/

/_The All Spark belongs to __**no one**__!_/ Optimus snapped back, unleashing some of his own pent-up anger.

His processors working at a furious pace, a plan formed, and Megatron's gaze returned to the humans. Compassion for puny beings such as these was his brother's greatest weakness. He leaped down from the church's roof to the street below, to pursue the fleeing humans. /_Give it back to me, or--_/

Optimus cut him off in mid-threat. /_You will do __**nothing**__!_ _Have you forgotten exactly how you were killed?_/

Megatron stopped short, a minivan containing a family in his grasp. /_**No**__,_/ he ground out. /_That boy..._/

/_Yes. I had instructed him to push the Cube into my own chest, but Sam was--overly excited at the time_./

His fingers tightened around the van, shattering it's glass windows, as he replayed that moment. /_You would not dare!_/

/_Wouldn't I? Are you certain enough to test me_?/ Optimus goaded him, and was met with a deafening silence. /_It is eight fifty-two A.M. in Eastern Standard Time. If we find out that any more humans are killed by you or your Decepticons, I __**will**__ destroy the Cube. That does, of course, include the humans you have in your hand right now._/

/_How did you--_/ Megatron began, only to be interrupted again.

/_I know how you think, __**brother**__,_/ Optimus told him, his voice filled with bitter revulsion now. /_Let them go. __**Now!**_/

Megatron hesitated, weighing the risks that Prime was not bluffing. For the first time in his long life he felt powerless, and _despised _it. Being forced to comply to his brother's demands was infuriating, and humiliating, but unavoidable. _Everything_ depended on the Cube. Megatron lowered his arm and opened his hand, letting the van with it's screaming occupants drop. /_Destroy it, and I will slaughter every human on this planet!_/

/_I know you would. You've demonstrated your lack of self-restraint many times,_/ Optimus said, critically. /_But then what will you do? Return to Cybertron and watch it slowly die? Or will you wander about the universe endlessly?/ _He was met with silence again, a positive sign. /_Perhaps now you're willing to reconsider accepting my proposal?_/

/_What?_/ Megatron blinked in surprise. /_You still intend to challenge me?_/

/_Yes. I know you'll never give up, and I would prefer to end this conflict now._/

_Such a foolish mistake, my brother, _he thought, and tried not to sound too eager. /_Then I accept. Where and when?_/

/_I will choose the time and location shortly. Until then, I suggest you exercise patience,_/ Optimus replied, his tone implying that Megatron was incapable of such a feat. /_Also, tell your Decepticons to stop searching for us. I would __**not**__ take kindly to visits from any of them._/ And with that the link was severed.

_You arrogant-- _Megatron took a moment to calm his raging temper before ordering Shockwave and the others to regroup. Another link was opened to Ramjet, who was informed that his role was strictly that of spy now.

* * *

"I should not have enjoyed that," Optimus stated, chagrined.

"Hell, if it's bothering you, we'll enjoy it for you!" Sam declared, flushed with delight -- Optimus had let them all listen in on the conversation. He'd bet five years of his life that no one's _ever _talked to Megatron like that!

"Damn straight!" Mikaela whole-heartedly agreed.

"You still intend to fight him?" Ultra Magnus questioned, a concerned look on his face.

Optimus sighed and nodded. "He cannot be trusted not to harm humans if we leave Earth."

"Christ! What is he, two years old?" Simmons loudly groused.

Sam coughed, shaking off a sudden, wacky image of Megatron being spanked. Ratchet and Hoist carried Bumblebee out of the cave, providing a _much_-needed distraction.

They gently set his body on the ground, and Mikaela hung back, holding her breath as Optimus went down on one knee and held the Cube out above him.

"Careful. The last thing he'll remember is dying," Thundercracker warned him.

"Move back, Sam," Optimus told the boy, and called Ratchet over as energy flashed outward from the Cube to Bumblebee. Ratchet nodded knelt behind Bumblebee.

Mikaela let her breath out in a rush when Bumblebee jerked and began flailing about. His keening wail brought fresh tears to her eyes.

"Bumblebee!" Ratchet wrapped both arms around him, restraining him. "It's all right. Sixshot's gone!"

"--Ratchet?" Disoriented, Bumblebee sat up, blinked several times at his own limbs, then looked at the two Autobots directly in front of him. "Sunstreaker? Wheeljack?" His optics opened wide. "Primus... We're all dead!"

"I am not!" Sunstreaker crossed his arms, insulted by the ridiculous assumption. "But I'm sure there's plenty of Decepticons who wish I was!"

"You're not dead, Bee," Sam laughed and hugged Bumblebee's foot, thrilled to have his friend back again.

Ratchet ran a full scan as he helped the unsteady scout stand. His processors were a little slow in returning to full power. That was certainly understandable, considering what he'd gone through.

Mikaela watched anxiously, hands clasped in front of her. There wasn't anything wrong with Bee, was there?

"Just as you are, now." Optimus tilted his hand slightly to show him the All Spark.

Bumblebee stared blankly at it. "It's real..."

"Yes, it is. Although we did have...difficulty in retrieving it from the cave." Optimus looked down at the Cube, his mood turning somber at the dismal memory. "Maggie is dead."

"Oh, no..." Bumblebee turned a stricken gaze to their medic. "I am sorry, Ratchet."

A pained look crossed Ratchet's face. "--thank you."

"I wish there was something I could do," Bumblebee said, miserable. "I...know how you feel."

Ratchet frowned slightly, then shook his head at the young Autobot and glanced over at Optimus.

"Bumblebee... Turn around," Optimus ordered him.

"Sir?" He hesitated, puzzled, before obeying.

Mikaela raised her hand to wave at Bee. "Hey there, Handsome." His optics went so wide when he saw her standing there she was afraid they were going to pop right out of his head.

"_**Mikaela!**_" Bumblebee lurched forward and snatched her up in one hand.

"Oh!" Mikaela gasped, suddenly finding herself airborne, then flattened against the middle of Bee's chest.

"Be careful with her!" Wheeljack admonished. "Humans are fragile."

"It's ok, Wheeljack, really." She grinned at the trills of joy Bumblebee was making, and ran her hands over warm metal. "God, I've missed you so much, Bee."

"I thought you were dead!" He lifted her higher, pressing her to his face now.

She gasped again and squirmed, tickled when he nuzzled her. "Bee.." Mikaela murmured, kissing him right below one brightly glowing optic.

"Wheeljack repaired her injured back," Ratchet told him, smiling sadly at the pair's reunion.

Bumblebee's gaze drifted to the scientist. "_Thank you, _Wheeljack!"

"He's very attached to his pet," Thundercracker observed, curious at their behavior.

Jazz angrily rounded on the Seeker. _"_Would you quit calling 'em pets?!"

"_Optimus!_" Bumblebee shouted, finally noticing that there were two new additions to the group. Clutching Mikaela to his chest, he hunched protectively over her while charging his plasma cannon.

Skywarp tensed, ready to teleport himself and Thundercracker away if the little Autobot attacks them.

"Bumblebee, don't!" Optimus ordered, alarmed; he wasn't close enough to block the shot if Bumblebee fires.

"No, wait! Bee!" Mikaela yelled, waving her arms to get his attention. "Don't shoot!"

Bumblebee looked from her to Optimus to the other Autobots. Ultra Magnus and Broadside were here, too. And Arcee! But...why were they all just standing there, doing nothing? He turned back to Optimus, hoping for a logical explanation. "Sir? Why are _they _here?

"They're here because they gave the All Spark back to us," Optimus answered, and began telling him what's happened since Kearney.

"Mikaela Banes is not a pet," Ultra Magnus told the Seekers in his most austere voice. "She is Bumblebee's mate."

"His mate?" Thundercracker repeated, astounded. "How?"

"He uses his holoform, of course," Arcee said, matter-of-factly.

"He's been mating with a _human? _That's _**disgusting**__!" _blurted out Skywarp.

"Say that again..." Jazz dared, both he and Ratchet scowling furiously at him.

"Your vocal processor seems to need some adjustments, Skywarp. I would be happy to take care of that for you," Wheeljack offered with a disturbing smile.

"_Great _idea!" Sam enthused.

Skywarp scoffed at them. "I'd like to see you try!"

"Would you _please _stop squabbling?" Optimus sternly requested, finished updating Bumblebee on the recent events.

"I agree." Prowl frowned disapprovingly at them. "There are more important matters to worry about. Such as retrieving Ironhide, and Prime's duel with Megatron."

"Megatron's soldiers will interfere," Ultra Magnus predicted, his hand twitching with irritation.

"Of course." Optimus considered the location of the upcoming battle. "Much of Washington, D.C. is empty now after yesterday's attack, making that city a suitable choice. Simmons, tell your government to evacuate any humans that might have lingered there, immediately."

"Sure, Boss," he said, yanking out his cell phone.

"The tall buildings there will provide cover for us, and negate any advantage those new Seekers would have," Prowl pointed out, nodding approvingly.

"This won't be easy." Optimus looked around at his Autobots. "We're still outnumbered." /_And the All Spark will have to be sent far away from the battle,_/ he added over a private, and very secure, line.

"Don't worry 'bout that, Optimus. We'll watch your back," Jazz said confidently.

_Holy shit. It's gonna turn into a great big free-for-all, _Sam realized, swallowing nervously. _It'll be fine.. We've got the All Spark.._ he told himself.

Listening to their plans, Thundercracker jerked in surprise when someone tried to reach him through the link normally used only by Seekers. Ramjet? Or that new Barricade? Skywarp was looking bored again, so whoever it is wasn't contacting him, too. Thundercracker tentatively opened the link. /_Who is this?_/

/--_help me..._/

/_Ramjet!_/ Thundercracker exclaimed, cringing at how weak he sounded. /_What happened?_/

/_Mega-tron...can't fly... _/ Ramjet replied before their connection was broken.

"May we please go save Ironhide now, Sir?" Bumblebee asked, still dazed that the tough old warrior had died. Ironhide had always struck him as being invincible. Sitting on his shoulder now, Mikaela leaned against the side of his head, stroking his face comfortingly.

"Yes, we will, Bumblebee." Optimus was about to give Skywarp the coordinates when Thundercracker made a distressed sound. "Is something wrong?"

"It's Ramjet. Megatron tried to kill him!"

"_**What?!**_" Skywarp spun around, red optics blazing.

"I should have known he'd do something like this!" Thundercracker said, starting to panic. "I've got to find him!"

"Were you able to trace the signal?" Optimus asked, affected by the Seeker's frantic desperation.

"No, I lost contact with him!" Thundercracker looked helplessly up at the sky, his scanners extended to their limits. "I don't know where he is!"

"I'll find out," Skywarp growled, opening his own link. /_Ramjet! Where are you?_/

A reply came after several anxious astro-seconds. /_I...don't know.. Everything's white..._/

/_That did he do to you_?/ he asked, to keep Ramjet talking while he tracked him.

_"...Primus.." _Optimus muttered, wrestling with this latest dilemma. "Once you have Ramjet's location, bring him here, Skywarp."

Thundercracker looked startled for a moment, then extremely grateful. "Thank you, Prime."

/_You're actually going to--_/ Jazz began.

/_I'm aware that fully trusting any of them is unwise, Jazz,_/ Optimus wearily said. An hour-long recharge might be necessary before meeting Megatron. /_However, we are indebted to Thundercracker and Skywarp. We cannot refuse to aid their friend. As soon as Ramjet's repaired, we'll bring Ironhide back to life. I promise you that._/

"Found him! I'll be right back," Skywarp announced, and promptly vanished.


	23. Chapter 23

A.N. Another shorter chapter...

* * *

/_You want me to __**what**__?_/ Thunderblast shrilled upon receiving the new orders.

/_You heard me,_/ Megatron growled, clearly in no mood to repeat himself.

_You __**fool! **__You sound hysterical!_ she berated herself. /_...yes, Lord Megatron. I heard you_._/_

/_Do not question me again, Thunderblast,_/ he told her, his tone promising dire consequences if she did, and closed the link.

"Think..think...think!" Thunderblast said aloud, pacing back and forth inside the empty warehouse she'd taken refuge in. There _has _to be a way out of this wretched situation. If she were to rejoin the Decepticons, Megatorn would _know _that something happened, and he was already in a rage over whatever it was that Thundercracker and Skywarp did. If he were to find out... There has to be a way to prevent that from happening without disobeying Lord Megatron, which would be disastrous for her.

But even worse than that was the prospect of a battle with the Autobots, and the chance that she'd encounter _HIM_ again, whoever he was.

_Why couldn't it have been someone important? Like--like Ultra Magnus? _Thunderblast stifled the urge to bash her head against the walls. As much as she hated the very idea of relying on someone, she needed help in dealing with this_. _/_Shortround!_/

/_What do __**you**__ want?_/ he asked in a frigid voice.

_You would still be angry about Starscream, _she thought, irate. _/Oh, not much_. _I just need a favor. A small one._/

/_From me? Why? Have Megatron and Shockwave already refused?_/ Shortround taunted, radiating jealousy. /_Maybe you weren't __**persuasive**__ enough._/

/_**No!**_/ Thunderblast shouted at him. /_They must __**never**__ know about this!_/

/_Know what? What the slag are you talking about?_/ he demanded, annoyed and puzzled by her outburst. He'd never heard her sound so flustered.

/_**Nothing**__!_/_ ...why don't I just broadcast it to everyone? _She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. /_I would rather discuss this in person_.../

/_All right_/ Shortround agreed, though he did make it sound like a huge inconvenience to him. /_I'll ask Lord Megatron to send one of those new Seekers to you._/

/_That won't be necessary_!/ Thunderblast hurriedly told him. /_Send me your coordinates, and I'll be right there_./

/_--what do you mean, you'll be right here? How?_/

/_Just tell me where you are!!_/ she snapped at him, not caring how confused he sounded.

/_Calm down!!_/ Shortround answered back. /_Primus, what's got your wires twisted?_/

_You would make this even more difficult, you Pit-spawned-- _Thunderblast had to take twenty astro-seconds before speaking to him again, in a more mild tone. /_I'll tell you when I get there. It...it's very important._/

/_It'd better be,_/ he told her, before giving his exact location. Just what was bothering her so much? Any attempt at theorizing ended when Thunderblast suddenly appeared in front of him, not five feet away.

Shortround screamed, jumping back and letting loose a torrent of plasma. She vanished an astro-second before it would have struck her.

"_Must_ you do that?"

Her voice came from behind him and he spun around, his spark spasming again. "**_Slagging_ _femme_**!" Shortround hollered. "_I didn't know you could teleport!!_"

"That would be because I've never told anyone." Thunderblast smirked, feeling a little better after scaring him. _Now who needs to calm down?_

_"Don't __**ever**__ do that again!"_

She bowed her head demurely. "As you wish, Shortround."

He glowered at her. "You said you needed a favor?"

"Yes, I do," Thunderblast said, getting back to the reason she'd contacted him. "There's one specific Autobot that...offended me. I want you to kill him."

"Is this a joke?" Shortround demanded, incensed. "I know you've terminated dozens of Autobots back on Cybertron. Do it yourself."

"I can't!"

"Why _not_?"

"I would if I could, but...I just can't! Don't ask me to explain!" She quickly softened her voice again, and tried not to sound as if she were begging. "He's small, compared to most Autobots. He should be an easy target."

Shortround stared at her through narrowed optics, calculating. Just how desperate was she? "_If _I do, I'll want something in return."

"And that would be?" Thunderblast warily asked, though she had a very good idea what he had in mind.

"It's simple: From now on you will not merge sparks with anyone but me," he answered, his expression turned implacable.

"Very well..." she grudgingly conceded; how she _hated _being at a disadvantage like this. "But I have a condition of my own."

"I'm sure you do. What is it?"

Thunderblast fumed; Shortround had the nerve to sound impatient! "You will _**not **_tell anyone that I can teleport, or tell about my _problem _with that Autobot._"_

"Agreed," he said with a triumphant smile. "Now, who is this Autobot you want dead?"

"I don't know his name." Her optics flickered as she recalled the meeting. "He's blue and white. Rather plain-looking, really...and sleek. Very sleek."

"Sleek? _**Sleek**__?_" He glared at her in outrage. "You sound as if you'd rather join with him!"

"_**No!" **_Thunderblast shouted back at him. "I will _**never **_join sparks with _**HIM**_!"

Shortround gaped as it dawned on him. "By Primus! You would _bond_ with him, wouldn't you??"

_"__**No!**_" she ferociously denied. "I _**won't!**_"

"I can't believe this!" he continued. "_You _and one of those puling Autobots?"

"This one's not like that, actually. He seemed quite opinionated, and strong-willed." Thunderblast scowled, reminding herself of the insult the Autobot had given her. _How __**dare**__ he call __**me**__ scum!_

"_Would you control yourself_!" he snarled, revolted by her admiring tone. Was this normal with potential bondings? "Do _not _forget why you joined the Decepticons!"

"I don't intend to!" she growled back at him. The Decepticons are stronger than the Autobots. It was inevitable that they will win this war. "_Now _do you understand? _He must __**die**__!"_

"He _will. _Now stop screeching at me!" an exasperated Shortround ordered. "I'll find that Autobot and kill him. Until then, try not to burn out your processors!"

"_Thank you!_" Thunderblast said, too relieved at gaining his cooperation to pay any heed to that snide comment.

He smiled slyly, his optics roaming over her form. "Now, why don't we discus_s_ how _grateful_ you are?"

_Marvelous._ _Now I won't be free until you're dead, too. Well, that can be arranged, _she mused. "Bring me that Autobot's head, then you'll receive your reward," Thunderblast told him, putting on a coy act. "You won't be disappointed, I promise." She stepped closer to Shortround, scraping two fingers down a seam in his chest armor, then disappeared.

_I'm sure I won't..._Shortround thought with a smug grin, but knew Thunderblast couldn't be trusted to keep her promise. Which was why he was going to have a witness present -- probably Scavenger, the only Decepticon he was getting along well with -- whether _she _liked it or not.

* * *

It wasn't a very long wait, less than two cycles, before Skywarp returned with Ramjet. He carefully placed his friend on the ground, on his front.

Optimus looked down at the maimed Seeker, pity stirring in his spark at the injuries he'd suffered.

"His wings..." Thundercracker sputtered. "Where are his wings?"

"You mean what's left of them?" Skywarp replied, his own voice thick with anger. /_We should __**never **__have taken the Cube from Lord Megatron._/

/_You know why we had to,_/ Thundercracker weakly argued, then turned back to Ramjet. "I'm sorry Megatron hurt you, Ramjet. I swear I'll _kill _him for it!"

_Not as sorry as you're going to be, _Ramjet thought as he kept quiet and still, listening to the conversation going on. --w_ait, what did he just say?_

"Don't do anything rash. That is what Megatron wants," Optimus cautioned Thundercracker.

"Do _not _try to give us orders!" Skywarp flung back at him.

Optimus looked from him to Thundercracker, fearing that their tentative alliance was about to crumble.

"He is going to use the All Spark to heal Ramjet, Skywarp," Thundercracker reminded Skywarp, in defense of the Autobot leader.

"He should, since it's all_ his_ fault!"

_What? Optimus Prime offered to help me? _Ramjet almost jerked his head up, startled by what should be an impossible, and absurd, notion.

Bumblebee was the first to take offense to that claim, beating the other Autobots by an astro-second. "Megatron is responsible for everything that's happened, not Optimus!"

"Quit yammering, will ya!" Jazz impatiently said, his words mainly directed at Skywarp. "Ironhide's been waitin' long enough!"

"Yes, he _has,_" Optimus firmly agreed with his lieutenant; they could not waste time arguing over who was to blame. He pulled aside an armor plate and removed the the All Spark. "Step back, please," he said, as a precaution if one of them, particularly Skywarp, were to decide to try to steal back the Cube.

Thundercracker frowned at the distantly polite tone, but did as Prime asked, urging a still-resentful Skywarp not to make a fuss.

_Hope that Ramjet doesn't attack them, _Mikaela watched anxiously as a glance from Optimus brought Ultra Magnus and Warpath to his side. They placed themselves between their leader and the two Seekers. Bee sure seemed to be expecting trouble; she could feel the tension in him. "Maybe you should put me down?" she whispered to him while Optimus used the All Spark to fix Ramjet. That was kinda cool, the way new wings just sprouted out from his back.

His hand flew up to cover her. "I won't let anyone hurt you again!"

"Bee... There's over a dozen other Autobots here. I'll be fine." She stroked the side of his face. "Besides, you can't exactly go into battle with me on your shoulder, can you?"

"No..." He reluctantly agreed with that obvious logic, setting her down on the ground.

"Thanks, Bee." She smiled up at Bee, patting his foot, then looked over at Optimus. The blue light show had faded and Ramjet was whole again. Mikaela ducked back behind Bumblebee, in case a fight does break out.

Ramjet rolled over and sat up, slowly so as not to alarm the Autobots, feeling better than he's had in _a _very long time. Old injuries that had never been properly repaired were gone. He felt like he could take on Optimus Prime himself_. _

_A good way to get slagged again_, Ramjet sourly reminded himself that the Autobot leader was much too powerful for him to fight_. _That was not why Lord Megatron sent him to them, anyway. He looked around, taking in the Autobots present. Lord Megatron will want to know exactly how many there are.

Moving back from the Seeker, and nodding to Ultra Magnus and Warpath to do the same, Optimus asked Broadside to change back to shuttle mode for transporting everyone.

As soon as Prime and the other two were out of the way Thundercracker rushed back over to Ramjet, pulling him to his feet. "You're all right now!"

Ramjet didn't respond to Thundercracker's enthusiasm, thinking fast. Optimus Prime will never believe an instant conversion from him, and he _really _needed to do this. He would much rather use his cannon, but that would give the Autobots the excuse they were just waiting for to terminate him. Instead, he closed his hand into a fist, pulled away from Thundercracker, and struck his brother in the face. Hard.

"_Agh!" _Thundercracker stumbled back, one hand clapping over his shattered right optic.

"_Ramjet!" _Skywarp powered up his own cannon, aiming it at him.

"Whoa..." Sam breathed, and glanced at Jazz and the other Autobots. They weren't reacting, just standing there tense and alert. Optimus must've told them stay out of the fight and let the Decepticons work it out themselves.

Ramjet glared defiantly at Skywarp. "Why didn't you _tell me _you were going to join the Autobots?!"

_"What_? We did_ not _join them!" Skywarp indignantly denied.

"And yet you _did _turn against Megatron, and aided us." Wheeljack stepped forward, seeing a possible opportunity to sway the Seekers over to their side. "Will you now hide somewhere and await the outcome of the battle?"

"We don't hide from anything!" Ramjet burst out, taking offense at that puny Autobot's assumption.

Optimus glanced at Wheeljack, nodding slightly, then addressed Thundercracker. "What do you intend to do now?"

"I--don't know," Thundercracker replied, uncertain. "I didn't think that far ahead.."

"Were you thinking at all when you left me behind to be torn apart?" Ramjet demanded, his temper reignited. Thundercracker looked even more guilty now, his entire frame slumping.

"Not really..." Skywarp ruefully confessed, retracting his cannon. "I guess we both deserve to get hit for that."

"Yes, you _do._" Ramjet stamped down the urge to laugh at his brother's phenomenal revelation. Determined to stay angry, he marched over to Skywarp and punched him. Now those two had matching broken optics.

"Primus, that hurts!" Skywarp complained.

"_It'd better_!"

Mikaela watched the display from behind Bumblebee's legs. "Feeling better now?"

"Barely," Ramjet grumbled, before realizing he was speaking with one of the humans. "Not that that is any concern of yours!"

"U-huh. Right." Mikaela rolled her eyes when he practically stuck his 'nose' in the air.

_These guys are just plain weird! _Sam decided, shaking his head.

"Okay, now that that's over with...sorta...we need ta get moving!" Jazz reminded everyone, wanting to get away from the cave where Maggie died, for Ratchet's sake. "We gotta go save Ironhide."

"Will you take us to Grand Junction, in the State of Colorado?" Optimus asked Skywarp and their designated leader Thundercracker, testing them to see if they were still willing to provide help.

Skywarp gave him a blank stare, clearly not expecting the question. Thundercracker hesitated, uncertain, and appeared as if he was going to refuse, to Optimus' disappointment. Then Ramjet spoke up.

"You've already given them the Cube. Why stop there?" Ramjet was careful to look and sound disgruntled, nothing more. There wasn't much point in spying on them if they didn't stay with the Autobots.

"Fine, I'll take them there," Skywarp agreed -- it did give him another chance to flaunt his unique talent again -- and started towards that large, clumsy-looking shuttle of theirs.

"One moment." Optimus gestured to Skywarp and Thundercracker to come closer when he had their attention. "Your optics," he explained, holding up the Cube gripped securely in his hand.

"Oh...Thank you.." Thundercracker said, blinking in surprise that Prime would use the All Spark for a relatively minor wound. He'd had a vague idea of capturing Hook and somehow forcing the medic to replace his and Skywarp's optics.

"I wonder if Megatron would do the same for any of his soldiers." Ultra Magnus remarked, shrewdly observing Ramjet's surprised expression at his brothers being helped by an Autobot.

Ramjet crossed his arms and looked away, ignoring the Autobot's speculation concerning Lord Megatron.

"That is _highly _unlikely," was Huffer's dour opinion as they started boarding the shuttle.

"--only if he still had some use for them," Thundercracker said, dejectedly remembering how Megatron showed no interest in the other Decepticons who'd died on Earth. Then a thought came to him. Optimus Prime used the All Spark to repair Ramjet: Would he let it be used to save Thrust and Dirge, too? But now wasn't the time to ask him. It'd be better to wait until that other Autobot, Ironhide, was brought back. They're bound to feel more charitable then.

_Stupid glitch! _Ramjet silently. _Of course Lord Megatron wouldn't waste his time on slagged weaklings! That's what makes him the great ruler that he is. _He froze when Thundercracker suddenly turned his way. _Must be careful, or he'll know how much I hate him._

"Will you come with us?" Thundercracker asked, worried that it would be a long time before Ramjet would forgive his thoughtlessness.

"You can't go back to Megatron," Skywarp pointed out the obvious.

"No, I _can't._" _Not yet, at least. _He took his time in answering, pretending to think about it. "You two aren't going to leave me behind again, are you?" Ramjet asked, in a slightly plaintive tone to remind them of their guilt.

They both shook their heads vigorously. "We'll never leave you behind again. Ever," declared Skywarp.

"All right.. Yes, I'll go with you," Ramjet muttered, almost convinced by how sincere he sounded. Their relieved reactions did appease him a little.

/_Ratchet? _/ Optimus inquired. The medic had stopped at the end of the shuttle's ramp and was scrutinizing the three brothers. /_What do you sense?_/

/_I don't think I need to tell you that they cannot be trusted,_/ Ratchet answered, turning away before they notice him staring at them.

/_Ramjet and Skywarp? Or all three of them?_/ Optimus kept his tone casual, despite the disquiet he felt in his spark. The possibility that Thundercracker might also intend to deceive them was--unsettling.

/_Hmm... I'm not sure. These Seekers are unpredictable._/

_And young, _Optimus sighed to himself, following Ratchet up the ramp and into Broadside's cargo hold. From their behavior, he estimated that they were as young as Bumblebee, perhaps even younger. That was a depressing thought.

"Have my parents called?" Sam asked, looking nervously up at the ceiling when he heard clanking noises; Skywarp and the other two were latching onto Broadside. Being inside the huge Autobot did shield him from the side-affects of teleporting: No more migraines, for which he was _very_ grateful.

"Nope. Not yet," Jazz told him.

Sam frowned worriedly. "It's after six there. They're usually up by now."

"They probably stayed up all night, watching the news," Mikaela guessed, once again perched atop Bumblebee's shoulder. Broadside tilted slightly before leveling out; he'd complained the first time that this teleporting business made him dizzy. The poor guy was really sensitive about balance. "Gonna leave them a message?"

"Yeah, I'd better. I'll tell 'em we've been glued to the t.v., too." Sam looked up at Jazz. "Uh.. Jazz? My phone?"

"Sure, Sam." He pulled it out from under his left leg's armor and handed it over.

"Thanks." Wishing he had inner compartments like that, Sam tried to dial his parents' number. "Oh,_ great_!"

"Something wrong?" Jazz asked, peering down at him with innocent curiousity.

"Battery's dead. It was supposed to be good for ten hours. Lousy piece of crap."

"Chill out, kid. I've got a couple spares." Simmons rummaged around in his travel bag and produced several small packages of cell phone batteries.

Sam took one from the small pile. "--Thanks."

"I think eight's a little more than a couple," Mikaela commented, then had to wrap her arms around Bee's head when Broadside landed with a jarring thud.

Bumblebee covered her with his hand again. "What's happened?"

"I had to avoid a small canine," Broadside told his passengers, lowering the ramp for them to disembark.

"Probably got dumped here. I hate it when people do that to their pets." Sam grumbled, replacing the battery in his phone while the bigger Autobots went outside first. A short, disjointed message was then left for his parents', along with a plea to take good care of Mojo. The phone was then turned back over to Jazz.

Jazz tucked it away for safekeeping -- he couldn't mess with the new battery without it looking suspicious -- and picked Sam up before heading out.

"I can walk, you know!" he protested.

"Yeah, I know. You're really good at it, too," Jazz replied, one optic closing in imitation of a wink.

"_Hey_!" Sam couldn't help but chuckle. "You're the one who struts! All the time!"

"A-ha!" Jazz grinned. "I knew you watched!"

Sam grinned back, and heard Mikaela laugh, too. Optimus glanced their way, smiling at the bantering between them. Everyone seemed more relaxed and cheerful, now that they were about to get Ironhide back. All but one, that is. Huffer was his usual gloomy self. _Does that guy ever smile?_

"Ironhide was buried over here." Optimus strode quickly across the field, scanning the ground until he found his friend's grave. Ratchet, Prowl and Ultra Magnus converged on the spot and began digging.

"We need a leaf blower to clean him out," Sam suggested.

"Ironhide would greatly appreciate that," Optimus said with a faint smile. "Jazz, take Sam into town to purchase one."

"Sure thing." Jazz put Sam down and transformed, opening the door for him.

"Be right back!" Sam hopped in, and the Aston sped off.

Optimus turned toward the Seekers, gathered a short distance away. "It would be best if you weren't here when Ironhide comes back online, for your own safety."

"We're not afraid of him!" Skywarp declared, offended yet again.

_Does he like being angry over imagined slights? _wondered Optimus, looking to Thundercracker for help with his recalcitrant brother.

Ramjet watched the conflict with feigned disinterest.

/_Skywarp, would you be sensible? I don't want to risk any of us being attacked, especially Ramjet,_/ Thundercracker added.

/_Mph.. You do have a point there,_/ Skywarp conceded, then added aloud, "And I think we've spent enough time around these _Autobots._"

"Aww. Just when we were starting to enjoy your_ charming_ personality_,_" Mikaela responded with biting sarcasm.

"Mikaela, please," Optimus murmured, dismayed by her baiting the Seeker.

"Let's go, Skywarp. Now!" Thundercracker intervened before he could threaten the female human and make things worse.

"Fine!" Skywarp transformed and flew off, engines roaring; it was more climactic than simply teleporting. Ramjet was an astro-second behind him.

"Thank you," Thundercracker said to Prime with a curt nod, finding himself reluctant to leave now. That made no sense, since he was obviously not welcome. He shook off that strange impulse, changed to jet mode and followed his brothers.

"Sorry," Mikaela sheepishly apologized. "I just can't stand him."

"I know," Optimus sighed, watching the Seekers disappear over a mountain before turning his attention back to the gravesite. They'd reached the wooden boards and were clearing off the soil.

Mikaela's eyebrows furrowed at how despondent he sounded. "You like him, don't you?"

"Hm?" He blinked at her question, puzzled. "Who?"

"Thundercracker."

"He could have been a valuable asset in battle," Optimus reasoned, puzzled by the curious look he was receiving from Mikaela, and a few of his Autobots. Surely it was obivous why he'd attempted to befriend the Seeker.

"Yeah, that's true," she agreed, feeling silly for trying to read more into it.

"We don't need him, or those brothers of his," Sunstreaker stated, irritable.

"Sure. Who cares if they can all fly, and one can actually teleport. No big deal, right?" remarked Simmons, earning a growl from Mr. Gaudy.

Tossing aside the last of the boards, Ratchet paused and glanced up at the sky. "They _might_ return."

"Whether they do or not is their choice," Optimus firmly declared, putting an end to that subject. Broadside carefully lifted Ironhide out and laid him on the ground, well away from the grave he'd been in. /_How much longer, Jazz_?/

/_Just another minute; we're on our way back./_

_Oh, Primus...Ironhide... _Arcee sank to her knees beside her mentor's shattered body, picking a tuft of grass from the edge of that gaping hole in his chest.

"Arcee?" Prowl hesitantly crouched next to her.

She rested a hand on Ironhide's arm, speaking in a sad whisper, "I--I've always thought he was indestructible."

"No one is indestructable," he replied to her illogical theory.

Bumblebee walked over to her. "I know he'll be happy to see you, Arcee, once he's back with us. After we make him more presentable, that is."

"We can't have him complaining about itching, now, can we?" Arcee smiled up at Bumblebee as she stood.

"No, of course not." Prowl nodded jerkily and backed away.

_Geez... _Mikaela nearly groaned aloud at his awkward retreat. That couldn't have gone much worse: Prowl had all the social skills of a blind elephant! Getting those two together was beginning to look like a feat worthy of Hercules. _Hope Sam'll be up to helping me, _she thought, looking back up when she heard Jazz return. He skidded to a stop a few feet away from them.

Sam jumped out the second the door opened. "Got it!" he announced, carrying a leaf blower, the biggest he could find that didn't weight a ton.

"Excellent. We'll start here," Ratchet decided, using two of his many lasers on Ironhide's head.

"Uh... Should you be doing that?" Sam asked, staring wide-eyed as the medic sliced apart the 'helmet' and tugged it right off. The Cybertronian version of a brain looked pretty damn complicated. "Some of that looks kinda...delicate."

"Trust me, no part of Ironhide is delicate," Ratchet said dryly, methodically working his way down Ironhide's body, removing more plating.

"Uh... Right." Sam ordered himself to stop thinking about how Ironhide had just been practically skinned, if it could be called that, and turned on the blower. "How're we doing this?" he asked, eyeing the huge black Autobot in front of him.

"Like this." Ratchet picked Sam up, fingers wrapped securely around the boy's lower body, and held him above Ironhide's head.

"Okay..." Sam gulped, unnerved at finding himself dangling upside down, with a bird's eye view of that 'brain'.

"Don't worry, Sam. He won't drop ya," Jazz assured him.

"I know that. It's just...never mind." Sam took a deep breath and aimed the blower at Ironhide's head. Under Ratchet's supervision, and from five different angles, he swept out any dirt, grass or bugs that had gotten inside. The chest was next, then the rest of Ironhide's body. It must've taken at least ten minutes. Then Ratchet insisted on a second cleaning, to make sure Ironhide was spotless. Sam's arms were aching by the time he finally finished. "_Please_ tell me we got it all out!"

Ratchet scanned Ironhide again for any more bothersome foreign material. "You did well, Sam. Thank you."

"Welcome.." Sam's arms went slack, the blower falling to the ground.

"You ok, Sam?" Jazz asked, taking him from Ratchet. The medic began putting Ironhide's armored plates back in place, but didn't bother welding any of them together. The All Spark will take care of that.

"I think I need new arms," he groaned, making the mistake of trying to bend them. "Damn..."

"Don't move 'em," Jazz told him. "You got any more of that blue stuff, Ratchet?"

"Yes, there's one bottle left." Ratchet opened a metal panel in his chest and gently removed Maggie's bag.

"I'll do it," Mikaela quietly volunteered.

His good mood evaporated when he recognized the tote bag. Bumblebee raised his hand for her to slide over onto it, and lowered her to the ground. Ratchet held the bag for a moment longer before giving it to Mikaela.

"Thanks." She took the bag from Ratchet, then, on impulse, hugged his foot.

He looked down, startled by the unexpected gesture, and smiled fleetingly at her. "Thank you, Mikaela," Ratchet said, lightly brushing one finger over her back.

"You're welcome." Mikaela let go, patting Ratchet's foot before going over to Sam. He'd gotten his sweatshirt off, with a lot of help from Jazz.

"Ratchet," Optimus called to him, standing over Ironhide and drawing the medic's attention back to the task awaiting them.

Ratchet joined Ultra Magnus in standing right behind Ironhide, while everyone else was ordered to keep a safe distance from them. This will be be far more difficult than it was with Bumblebee, in more ways than one. Kneeling down, Optimus held the All Spark out toward Ironhide and, as before, streaks of light sprang outward, engulfing the weapons specialist.

Ironhide shuddered, darkened optics flashing back to life as the Cube's energy dispersed. "_**Slaggers!**_" he bellowed, yanking his cannons up, despite Ratchet and Ultra Magnus' efforts to restrain him, and firing.

Optimus twisted sideways, protecting the Cube with his body.

"_**No**__!" _Mikaela and Sam both yelled, horrifed when Optimus was hit and toppled over.

/**_Ironhide!_**/ Ratchet shouted again, hoping his old friend heard him this time.

_"Ratchet??" _Bewildered, Ironhide jerked his head around, realized that he wasn't surrounded by Decepticons now, and stared at the Autobot next to Ratchet. "_Ultra Magnus!"_

"Yes, I'm here, and not alone. Try not to shoot any more of us," Ultra Magnus jokingly requested, glancing over at his leader. There was no need for concern, however. The All Spark had already repaired Prime.

"You're all right?" Sam asked, relieved to see Optimus getting back up so quickly.

"Yes, I'm fine now." Optimus blinked, surprised to discover that his energy levels were back to normal. The All Spark recharged as well as healed him.

"I--shot you, Sir?" Ironhide asked, twitching with embarrassment at his mistake.

"By accident," Optimus answered, coming closer when Ironhide climbed to his feet. "Thu.. We were told that the last thing you remembered would be--"

_**"You found it!"**_ he exclaimed, his optics fixed on the All Spark in his leader's hand. "Simmons wasn't lying!"

"Gee, thanks.." Simmons sulked.

"No, he wasn't. However, there was a...problem in retrieving the Cube," Optimus said, and grimaced at the very poor choice of words.

"_Those slagging Decepticons __**killed me**_!" Ironhide shouted, tremendously insulted that he'd been beaten by glitched Seekers. _"_Where'd they go? You saved one of 'em for me, didn't you?"

_Primus, this is difficult._. Optimus paused for a moment, mentally bracing himself. "Ironhide, please listen."

"I am listening. What problem?" He looked around, his optics brightening as he took in the new Autobots: Arcee, Mirage... even Sunstreaker was among them. Sideswipe must be around here somewhere, too, since those two never strayed far from each other. Huffer was a bit of a surprise, though. _It's good he's here, I suppose...long as he doesn't talk. _"How long was I down?"

"One day, the same as me. A lot has happened..." Bumblebee fidgeted nervously when Ironhide stared at him in disbelief, and looked helplessly at Optimus. This was going to turn out badly, he just _knew_ it.

"They got _you, too?_ What_ else _did I miss? Tell me _everything_!" Ironhide went rigid, noticing that someone was missing from the original group. "Where's Maggie?"

"Maggie is dead," Optimus somberly told him; there was no point stalling in telling him.

"_**What?!**__" _His mouth dropped open in complete shock. _"What_ _did you just say_?" Ironhide demanded, denying what he'd heard.

"Maggie's dead," Ratchet repeated in a flat, dull voice.

Ironhide stared hard at him, then Optimus, still refusing to believe them. It just wasn't possible! "_**How?**__"_

"It was Soundwave," Optimus said, almost taking a step back at the sudden fury on Ironhide's face. "He and his drones were in Mammoth Cave searching for Frenzy, who'd been moved there by Sector Seven."

"_Soundwave and his __**drones!?**_" Ironhide's vocals increased to another shout. _**"Tell me you killed them! Optimus! Tell me they're all scrap!**__"_

"No.. They escaped, with the All Spark," Optimus had to admit -- he certainly wasn't going to lie to his friend -- then hurriedly continued. "They used it to bring Megatron back to life, but two of the Seekers--"

"_**Megatron?**_" Ironhide bellowed again, drowning out whatever else his leader was saying. That murderous tyrant was alive, while _she _was dead? _**I'll rip Soundwave apart! And those Pit-cursed drones! **_he vowed, in a blind fury now. Fists clenched tightly, his gaze fell on someone else that was to blame. Someone he could take care of right now. "_You __**traitor**__! This is all __**your fault**__!" _he accused, pointing his cannons at Jazz.


	24. Chapter 24

_Oh my God. _Sam couldn't seem to make himself move, and stared up at those giant menacing cannons. Fortunately Jazz and the other Autobots didn't have a problem reacting.

"_Get back, Sam_!" His visor sliding down and shield raised, Jazz used one foot to push his humfanf aside when he just stood there. Sam stumbled and fell, landing on his rear with an 'Oof'.

"_**Ironhide! Control yourself!**_" Optimus shouted, both he and Ultra Magnus placing themselves between him and Jazz. Bumblebee let out a squeal of alarm and snatched Mikaela up, while Broadside edged closer to Ironhide, ready to restrain him if it became necessary. Arms folded over his chest, Ratchet frowned darkly at his old friend.

"_Stop this_!" Arcee exclaimed in a shout of her own; both Sunstreaker and Warpath had their own cannons out, on reflex. And Ironhide...she'd rarely seen him so angry. "What is the matter with you, Ironhide? Jazz would _never_ betray us!"

"Yes, what _are_ you talking about?" Prowl asked. "How is what happened Jazz's fault?"

"Bee!" Mikaela protested, pushing his finger away from her face so she could see what was going on. Not for one second did she believe Ironhide would actually shoot Jazz.

"That malfuntioning little _**glitch**_ is the reason I got _slagged_! Thinking he could _negotiate _with those fraggin' _Seekers!_" Ironhide sneered contemptuously.

"I'm sorry, I--" Jazz began, shield and shoulders drooping guiltily.

"_Leave him alone! He was only trying to save me!_" Sam yelled, scooping up a rock to throw, then thought '_Really bad idea' _and dropped it.

"Those Primus-cursed Decepticons would _**never**_ have gotten anywhere near Maggie or the All Spark if _**I'd **_been there!" Ironhide asserted, ignoring the boy.

"_Enough, _Ironhide_!_" Ratchet seized his left arm and turned him around, cutting short his tirade. "If you must blame someone, then blame me!_ I _failed to sense the danger, and insisted that she go with Optimus and Jazz."

"The fault is mine, Ratchet," Optimus argued, drawing Ironhide's attention back to him. "It was my carelessness that left Maggie unprotected in the cave."

_Their mate would probably have died regardless. _Huffer kept quiet, knowing better than to voice that opinion aloud.

"You _left her __**alone**_ in that cave_?!" _Ironhide scowled at his leader, then at Ratchet. "Where _were_ you? Why weren't _you_ with Maggie?"

Ratchet met his furious gaze steadily. "I was trying to help Mikaela: She'd been injured when Sixshot and Soundwave attacked us."

"The bastard, Ravage, broke my back." Mikaela trembled a little at the horrible memory. Bumblebee made a low-pitched, forlorn sound and curled his hand around her. She smiled, relaxing, and laid her cheek against the warm metal. _"_Thanks, Bee."

"None of you are truly responsible for what occurred," Prowl stated, after analyzing their claims. "There were errors in judgement, but the Decepticons could have easily taken the Cube without inflicting serious damage to Maggie Madsen. Instead, they _chose_ to kill her."

"He's right. _They _are the ones you should direct your anger at." Ultra Magnus fixed a reproving stare on Ironhide, who shifted, glowering, then finally powered down his cannons.

Jazz slowly lowered his shield, his gaze bouncing between the four of them.

"Bee, could you put me down now, please?" Mikaela asked, and hoped that he won't make a habit of grabbing her at the first sign of trouble.

"All right." Bumblebee kept a wary optic on Ironhide as he set her on the ground.

"Thanks." She went back over to Sam and picked up the bag and bottle she'd dropped when Ironhide went ballistic. "How's your arms?"

"I dunno..." Sam said, still a little freaked out. "Can't really feel anything right now."

"Yeah.. Adrenaline can do that. Just keep them steady for a minute," Mikaela instructed, glancing occasionally at the Autobots as she spread the salve over his arms and shoulders.

"You should know that it was the Seekers who took the All Spark from Megatron and gave to back to us," Optimus told Ironhide in a clipped voice, disgusted with him for threatening Jazz. At least he'd regained some semblance of calm after that outburst.

"_They__** did**__?_" Ironhide gaped, astounded by the news.

"Yes. It seems that Jazz's effort at negotiating with them did have some affect. On Thundercracker, at least," Wheeljack noted, glancing briefly at the All Spark. "As for Soundwave and his 'drones'...you'll have an opportunity to avenge your mate during the battle."

"Battle? What battle?"

"Optimus has challenged Megatron, to put an end to this war once and for all," announced Hoist.

"We're going to take out the rest of the Decepticons," Warpath added, excitedly. "We'll _blast_ them into melted slag!"

_Here it comes... _Mikaela dropped the bottle again and clapped her hands over her ears right before that manic Autobot made his typical 'boom'.

_"__**Shit**_**!**_" _Sam practically jumped out of his skin at the sound of an explosion. "_Would you quit doing that?!"_

"I'm sorry," Warpath said, meekly embarrassed. "I can't help it. Honestly!"

"Could you_ try_?" Sam implored, his heart pounding in his chest.

"We've tried. Nothing's worked," Wheeljack said, exasperated.

"When's this battle? Where?" Ironhide asked, annoyed by the interruption. "Nobody'd better get in my way!"

_"Ironhide_!" Ratchet growled with sudden fierceness. "You can have the drones, but their master, Soundwave, is_ mine_ to kill."

"Not all the drones! I want Ravage!" Bumblebee emphatically told them.

"Hmph." Ironhide narrowed his optics at Bumblebee and Ratchet, then nodded. "Fair enough."

_I will never understand how they could become so attached to these humans so quickly, _Sunstreaker decided, shaking his head.

"The battle will take place in Washington, D.C.," Optimus answered Ironhide's question. "As for when, I'll contact Megatron as soon as we reach that city."

"Let's go now, then!" Ironhide impatiently said. There were drones that needed crushing!

"Broadside, transform." Optimus glanced skyward for a moment, wondering if the Seekers will indeed come back, then reminded himself not to get distracted with pointless speculation.

"We are going to pick up Sideswipe and that other human, aren't we?" Sunsteaker asked, after giving his twin an update on what's happened.

"Will's still with him?" Mikaela asked, happily surprised.

"Yes. Sideswipe said he wants to see the All Spark for himself."

Optimus nodded, unsurprised. Will Lennox was the type to require solid proof, instead of second-hand information. "Where are they now?"

"Somewhere in Indiana." Sunstreaker shrugged. "He didn't mention his exact location."

"Ok, done." Mikaela closed the bottle and put it in the bag, then helped Sam get his sweatshirt back on.

"Feelin' better, Sam?" Jazz asked, concerned when he winced a couple times.

"I will in a sec'." Sam fixed his mussed hair before stomping over to Ironhide and giving one of those huge feet a sound kick. "_That's for scaring the shit out of us!!"_

"_**Sam!**_" Mikaela and Jazz said at the same time.

Jazz dodged around Optimus to stand over Sam, his shield springing out again. "Don't even _**think**_ about it!"

"Huh?" Ironhide stared down at them, confused at first, then huffed, outraged. "I'm not going to hurt him!" Everyone else looked worried that he might kick Sam back or something, he noticed with a grimace. _Well...maybe I did overreact...a little... _"--Sorry I stuck my cannons in your face, Jazz."

_Ow... _Sam leaned against Jazz's foot, thankful his boots were so thick, or else he would've broken something.

"Say _what?_" Jazz cocked his head, thinking maybe his audio receptors were fritzing. "Was that an _apology?"_

"Yeah, and don't look so fraggin' surprised about it," grumbled Ironhide.

"_Hello_?" Simmons interrupted them. "Can you two kiss and make up later? We've got a battle to get ready for."

"Everyone, get on board. Ironhide, we'll tell you everything else that's happened during the flight to Indiana." Optimus turned to Sunstreaker. "Tell your brother to stop at the next rest area he comes across. We'll meet him and Major Lennox there."

"Yes, Sir." Sunstreaker opened a link to pass on the instructions as he headed up the landing ramp.

Ironhide harrumphed, pointedly ignoring Simmons as he and Ratchet boarded the shuttle together. /_No way am I kissing you!_/ he sent to Jazz.

/_I sure hope not!_/ Jazz answered back, dropping his shield again, relieved that Ironhide didn't want to blow him up anymore. But just in case, he let a few of the others go before him and Sam, to give Ironhide more time to cool down. As always, Optimus was the last inside before Broadside took off.

* * *

"Soundwave, do you have the information I need?" Megatron asked his Communications Officer.

"Yes, Lord Megatron. I've downloaded the locations of every human settlement on this planet and their estimated populations, as well as all existing roadways." Soundwave dutifully opened a link and transferred the data and detailed maps to his leader.

"We're going back to New York City," Megatron informed them all. Prime had forbidden the killing of any more humans, but that didn't mean he intended to remain inactive. "To the Kennedy Airport. Barricade, you and your brothers will bring the ground soldiers."

He transformed and sped off to the North. _I'll rip out his spark_! Megatron vowed, despising his brother for opposing him. Prime was weak, content with a single system when they could have ruled the entire galaxy, and beyond. _The All Spark will be mine again, and __**I **__will make the Decepticon Empire the greatest power in the universe. As it should be!_

/_Lord Megatron!_/ Ramjet called to him over the link he'd left open for his spy.

/_Report, Ramjet,_/ he curtly replied.

/_There are sixteen Autobots under Prime's command, Lord Megatron. Prime asked us to leave just before he revived his weapons specialist, Ironhide._/ Ramjet proceeded to list the designations of the other fifteen Autobots. /_They have three humans with them, too._/

/_Three?_/ he repeated, his interest piqued. /_Is there a male called Sam?_/

/_Yes, there is_./ Ramjet confirmed.

_So Prime kept the boy as a pet, _Megatron mused, looking forward to meeting that particular fleshling again. /_Where are you now?_/ he asked. Ramjet's success so far was a surprise; perhaps he's not completely incompetent after all.

/_In the land called Brazil, with Thundercracker and Skywarp._/ It baffled Ramjet that humans divided their planet into so many segments, each one with it's own ruler. He paused, then added, /_I think Thundercracker wants to go back to Cybertron._/

/_Do __**not**__ let him!_/ growled Megatron. /_Convince him to return to the Autobots. I don't care how you do it._/

/_I won't fail you, Lord Megatron._/ the Seeker staunchly declared.

/_Make sure you do not._/ He cut the link to Ramjet, opened another to Shockwave and the other Decepticons and sent them an image of Sam Witwicky. /_Once I've sent Optimus Prime to the Pit, I want that human brought to me. Alive._/

/_It will be done, Lord Megatron,_/ Shockwave answered for everyone.

Megatron reached New York then and went into a dive, flying low through the city, enjoying the resulting panic from many of the fleshlings on the streets. It was tempting, _very_ tempting, to fire on the ones that stopped and stared up at him. He resisted the urge and soared upward; exterminating these creatures will have to wait, but there were preparations he could make for that event in the meantime.

Reaching the airport a few astro-seconds later, he transformed, landing on one of the many tarmacs. _This will do in amassing future Decepticons, _Megatron thought, looking around at all the airplanes sitting on the ground. There were dozens of them, just waiting to be remade by the All Spark. He walked over to one of the largest plane, a double-decker that must have recently arrived from another city. There were fleshlings inside this one, while the other jets were empty. The humans' leaders must have ordered a halt to air travel. How convenient.

The two pilots inside gaped at him as he ran a hand over the 'nose' of the jumbo jet. A teeth-baring grin had the desired effect; they jumped out of their seats and fled to the main body of the plane. His audios picked up screams and shouts inside, and the windows were shaded, blocking any further view of the terrified passengers.

"What are your orders, Lord Megatron?" asked Shockwave.

"You and the other fliers are to bring all the vehicles here. Without harming any humans," Megatron amended, a scornful smile twisting his mouth.

"Yes, Lord Megatron," Barricade growled, echoing his leader's fury at the injunction imposed on them.

"Soundwave, go with them and use your drones to drive away any humans reluctant to leave their vehicles. The rest of you, follow me. I want all of the aircraft disabled, so the humans cannot use them to escape in." Megatron strode off at a fast pace to another plane. "Target the wheels," he instructed, not willing to take a chance that the Cube would be unable to convert the jets into new Decepticons if their engines were destroyed.

"There is a specific area where passengers are picked up," stated Soundwave, after reviewing the information he'd gathered on airports. "Many of them use buses for transportation."

"We'll go there first, then," Shockwave decided, knowing that Megatron would want the largest vehicles gathered up first. "Lead the way, Soundwave."

"Yes, Commander Shockwave." Soundwave changed back to his SSC form and, engines roaring, sped over to the airport's main building.

_These should also satisfy Lord Megatron. _Sixshot landed behind one of three parked limousines, narrowly avoiding crushing a taxi. The humans who'd been lingering outside dropped their luggage and ran into the building, screaming about giant aliens. That brought three security guards rushing outside to see what the commotion was about. They gawked at the Decepticons for a moment before firing with the puny guns in their hands.

Barricade growled irritably when the tiny projectiles struck his chest, stinging him, and aimed his cannon at the humans.

"Do not terminate them, Barricade," Shockwave sternly reminded him. Fortunately the sight of that cannon was enough to convince the guards to flee back inside. He walked over to a large bus half-filled with humans. "Your drones, Soundwave."

Soundwave joined the Military Commander at the bus before releasing them. All of them were eager to 'play' with the humans. All except Ravage, that is. "Out, Ravage," he ordered, then added when Ravage balked. /_You have nothing to fear from Sixshot now. He would not dare defy Lord Megatron._/

/_--No, he wouldn't_/ Ravage agreed, feeling a little braver but still uneasy as he obeyed Soundwave.

_Is he afraid I'd grab him and fly off? _Sixshot wondered, smirking at Ravage's nervousness, and decided to use a different tactic: Completely ignoring the small Decepticon. _Let's see how he reacts to that._

Shockwave gestured to the bus he'd chosen. "Clear this transport."

"Can we kill the insects?" Frenzy asked, hopeful that there'd been a last-minute change in plans.

"Negative." Shockwave looked coldly down at the tiny drone. "You know Lord Megatron's orders."

"Yes. Yes. Yes," Frenzy muttered, then reminded himself that it was only temporary. Soon he'll be allowed to kill as many humans as he wants. "Open bus door, Ravage!"

Ravage nodded, head bobbing up and down, and kept one optic trained on his not-partner as he leaped up onto the bus. Sixshot hadn't even glanced at him, Not once_. Don't care_! he silently huffed while breaking the back emergency door's lock to open it. A snarl, along with a show of fangs, sent the humans inside scrambling to get away. One tripped and was stepped on as they all fought their way out the front door. Ravage and Frenzy slipped inside to drive out the stragglers, the former snarling menacingly as he stalked up the aisle, while the latter hopped back and forth across the backs of the seats.

"Bus is empty now," Ravage announced a few astro-seconds later, preening over his quick success.

"Good." Shockwave picked the large vehicle up, barely giving Ravage enough time to get out himself. "Clear the rest of these, and don't let _any_ of them leave," he instructed, then walked off, taking the bus to the tarmacs.

"Yes, Commander." Ravage glanced over at Sixshot, who was breaking windows so Ratbat, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw could fly into the limousines -- and _still _wasn't paying any attention to him. Huffing at the snub, Ravage proudly held his head high, ignoring his former partner in turn, and trotted over to the next bus.

_Hmm.. That's interesting. _Sixshot smiled to himself, casting a very brief, sidelong look at an obviously annoyed Ravage when he walked off. Continuing to ignore Ravage, he transformed, grabbed hold of the first of the limousines, and flew off. _When I'm finished with_ _Soundwave, he won't have Ravage, or any of his other 'friends'._

* * *

After passing over yet another group of trees, Skywarp couldn't stay quiet any longer. /_This is ridiculous!_/ he complained, banking sharply to the left to land in a clear space. /_Are we going to fly over every part of this world?_/

/_No, we're not,_/ Thundercracker conceded, stopping next to him. Ramjet circled once before landing a few yards away from them. "I was thinking that perhaps we should return to Cybertron now, but the Decepticons left behind there will demand to know what happened to Shockwave and everyone else."

"One of them would try to contact him, and find out we lied," Skywarp concluded, deflated at having what was a great idea vanish.

Thundercracker looked down, digging a hole in the ground with the tip of his foot. "I--don't know what to do."

"Well, we can't keep wandering around like this." Ramjet crossed his arms, continuing in a peevish voice. "You said you'd kill Lord Megatron for what he did to me!"

"And we will. We're using the Autobots to do it," Skywarp patiently explained.

"Prime does have a greater chance of defeating Megatron than we would," Thundercracker said, perturbed by Skywarp's choice of words. _--am not using them..._

"What if he fails?" Ramjet pressed them. "Aren't you going to help them?"

"If Optimus Prime asks, I'd gladly help," Thundercracker stoutly declared.

Skywarp frowned, bothered that his brother appeared to be a little too comfortable around the Autobots.

"But he hasn't asked. Prime probably doesn't want to see as if he's begging," Ramjet conjectured, holding back a derisive smile as he walked over to them. "You should contact him."

"All right. I will," Thundercracker decided, and was puzzled by Skywarp's surly look. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. The sooner Megatron's turned into scrap, the sooner we can leave this stupid planet," Skywarp irritably replied.

Thundercracker looked at him a moment, unsure, then shrugged. Skywarp always was the most temperamental of his brothers. He opened the link he'd saved, and kept his voice casual. /_Is it safe to come back yet?_/

/_Thundercracker??_/

/_Yes._/ He smiled; Optimus Prime sounded astonished at hearing from him again...and perhaps even a little pleased, too?

"Well?" Skywarp prompted.

/_Skywarp's getting impatient,_/ Thundercracker blithely remarked to the Autobot leader.

/_He did strike us as rather disagreeable,_/ Optimus commented. /_I'm eighty-five percent certain that Ironhide will not fire on you and your brothers now._/

/_That's good to know._/ He hesitated an astro-second before coming out with it. /_Do you still want our help?_/

/_That would be appreciated. Thank you_./

/_Are you still in Grand Junction?_/ Thundercracker asked eagerly.

/_No._/

There was a pause before he spoke again. _Probably consulting his lieutenants about us, _Thundercracker suspected, nervously wondering if Prime was reconsidering.

/_Please go to Exit 63 of Interstate 64 -- it's just outside the city of Jasper, Indiana -- and we'll meet you there in five breems,_/ Optimus instructed him.

/_We'll be waiting, then_./

/_Thank you, Thundercracker,_/ he said again, before closing the link.

"He said 'yes'," Thundercracker told Skywarp and Ramjet, and relayed the coordinates Optimus provided.

_The trusting fool... _Ramjet scoffed, but kept his expression bland.

"Fine.. Let's go, then." Less-than-thrilled with the plan, Skywarp roughly grabbed his brothers' arms and teleported to that Jasper city.

* * *

Mikaela stared at Simmons, turning pale. "They're at it _again_?"

"They're at the JFK airport right now." He turned his laptop around for her to see.

_Oh, no.. _Sam swallowed hard, thinking of how many thousands of people would be there, and leaned forward on Jazz's shoulder, peering down at the monitor. "What are they doing?"

"Slashing tires on all the planes," Simmons told the kid.

"Hang on." Jazz snagged the computer from Simmons and hacked into it. A second later a hologram sprang up in the middle of the cargo hold. Megatron and several other

Decepticons were clearly seen from the view of an overhead news helicopter.

"How many have been killed?" Optimus asked, his optics half-closed in anger as he watched his brother's image.

"None," Jazz growled. "They're just scaring a whole lot of humans."

"That's not all they're doing. Look there." Prowl pointed to Soundwave and two of the new Decepticons, one of which was huge; he must have originally been the bus that Thundercracker had told them of. They were carrying limousines, which they set down next to two hotel buses. Everyone watched as four more Decepticons appeared, adding more buses to the assembly.

Sam nervously chewed on a thumbnail. "They're _stockpiling_?!"

"They're not even trying to conceal it!" Ultra Magnus scowled at the brazen display.

"No... Megatron's convinced that he is going to win," Optimus murmured, a sliver of self-doubt creeping into his spark.

"Hey!" Mikaela exclaimed, noticing his expression change. "He's just trying to psych you out. Don't let him get to you!"

"You'll kick his aft, Optimus," Jazz put in.

"Right into next week!" added Sam, which drew a confused look from Prowl.

/_It's just a deliberate exaggeration,_/ Optimus sent to Prowl before he could point out that they did not possess the capability of time travel. "I'll certainly try my best," he solemnly promised, their steadfast confidence in him bringing a smile to his face.

"We'll _grind _'em all into _dust_!" rumbled Ironhide.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Sunstreaker smiled in anticipation of a good fight, then moved closer to Mirage, who'd been uncharacteristically silent and brooding lately. This was a good time to talk to him, before Broadside reaches Jasper. /_Have you decided what you're going to do about your femme?_/ he asked.

_You __would __wait until now to bring that up, _Mirage thought, stiffening; he knew it was too much to hope for that Sunstreaker hadn't heard his exchange with that Decepticon. _What are you talking about? I'm not interested in Arcee,_/ he replied, choosing to misunderstand. /_And even if I were, I wouldn't want to compete with Prowl. Not that he'll ever act on it._/

/_Probably not, but we both know I wasn't referring to Arcee,_/ Sunstreaker persisted, and replayed what he'd recorded. /"As if I'd ever join sparks with Decepticon scum like you!" _"_Get _**away **_from me_!!"_ /

/_If you've shared that with--_/

/_Don't worry, your secret's safe,_/ he smoothly interrupted. /_Thunderblast is a little taller than Arcee is now._/

/_She's quite a bit taller, and--ahr! _/ Mirage growled low, aggravated. _Why should I care how well-formed she is?_ /_She's also a Decepticon!_/

/_Yes, she is,_/ Sunstreaker agreed, getting serious. /_Which means that she'll try to kill you again._/

/_Really? I hadn't realized that. Thank you,_/ Mirage snidely responded, resenting being forced to think about something he'd rather forget ever happened.

/_Since you'd be insane to even think about bonding with her --_/Sunstreaker continued, unruffled, /--_and I doubt you want to die, your only other choice is to kill her first._/

/_Or I could do neither. It's likely that Thunderblast will be killed during the upcoming battle,_/ Mirage speculated, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken.

Sunstreaker turned and stared at Mirage as if he'd sprouted a second head. /_You're going to wait and let someone else terminate her_? _Why? All you need to do is stay invisible. It'll be easy._/

/_Excuse me?? I will __**not **__lower myself to committing murder!_/ Mirage objected, insulted by the suggestion. /_Whatever I do choose to do about Thunderblast, it's no concern of yours. Don't interfere. Understand?_/

/_I understand_./ Sunstreaker inclined his head slightly, but had no intention of staying out of it. That's what friends were for, after all.

"Is there a problem?" Optimus asked, concerned by the way those two were looking at each other. _Why does Sunstreaker feel the need to offend everyone?_

"No, Sir," they both answered.

"Good." Optimus glanced pensively at the humans, then opened a link to Jazz, Bumblebee, Ratchet and Ironhide. _/For their own safety,_ _Sam, Mikaela and Agent Simmons will have to remain at the rest stop with Major Lennox._/

All four swiveled their heads around toward him. /_Huh?_/ Jazz squeaked out, startled by the sudden decision. /_You want us to ditch them_?/

/_They're not gonna like that,_/ predicted Ironhide.

/_I agree with Optimus,_/ Ratchet said. /_The battle will be far too dangerous for them._/

/_I don't want Mikaela to get hurt again,_/ Bumblebee fretted, also agreeing with their leader.

/_Yeah, same here,_/ Jazz conceded, looking down at his own human. /_Sam's still pretty frazzled. --Sure hope they forgive us..._/

/_They're more rational than most of their race. I'm sure they'll understand our concern, once they get past their initial anger,_/ Optimus confidently stated.

_"_We've reached the rest area," Broadside announced at that moment, right before making a semi-bumpy landing in a field a quarter of a mile away from the designated meeting place.

"You ok, Broadside?" asked Sam.

"Yes, I am well." He watched as a nearby herd of sheep ran away, bleating. _Annoying, shrill creatures, _Broadside sourly thought, and lowered the ramp.

"Jazz, you and Bumblebee bring Sam and Mikaela," Optimus ordered, changing to truck form. "Agent Simmons will ride with me. The rest of you, wait here for us."

"Permission to come with you, Sir," Sunstreaker requested, eager to see his twin right now.

"Permission granted," Optimus allowed, knowing he'd only ask again.

"Mind if I ride with him?" Simmons asked, pointing at Sunstreaker, just because he knew it'd bug the hell out of the gold Autobot.

"_Must _I?" Sunstreaker automatically complained.

"If it's too great a hardship for you, then, no. You don't have to," Optimus replied, his optics glinting with amusement.

"I never said it'd be hard!" Sunstreaker proclaimed, transforming, and the passenger door swung open. "Hurry up, Simon."

"Simmons!" he irritably corrected as he got in. _Punk's doing that on purpose._Simmons adjusted the seat back a bit further before putting the seatbelt on.

"Would you stop squirming?"

"If you'd copied something more comfortable--" Simmons began.

"A vastly_ inferior _vehicle, you mean?" Sunstreaker sped across the field, following the other Autobots as they broke through a wire fence and turned onto the highway.

"_Fine! _You wanna drive around looking like some rap star's pimped-out ride? Go right ahead!"

"I wasn't aware I needed _permission_, " he haughtily retorted, and almost chuckled when Simmons flung his hands up in defeat. Trading barbs with this human kept him from getting bored.

Will Lennox was sitting on a bench, anxiously tapping his feet, with Sideswipe idling in one of the parking spaces. The twin honked loudly when the Autobots pulled into the rest stop, and Will jogged over to them. "Damn, it's good to see you guys again." He shook Sam and Mikaela's hands when they got out, and nodded to Simmons. "How're you doing, Optimus?"

"I am well, Major Lennox, thank you." Optimus wished he could transform and greet the young soldier properly but, as Sideswipe had warned, there were other visitors in the rest area.

"Great!" Will looked around. "Where's Ironhide?"

"He's waiting with the others in a nearby pasture," Bumblebee answered.

"Oh.. He is ok, though, right?" he asked, a little bummed at having to wait to see his war-buddy again.

"Ironhide's fine, and ready to blast some Decepticons into pieces," Jazz assured him.

"Me, too." Will turned back to Optimus. "So where's the Cube?"

"I have it. Sam?" Calling the boy over, Optimus slide open the left side of his front grill to reveal the All Spark.

Sam reached inside, carefully pulled the Cube out, and passed it to Will.

"_All __**right**_!" Will enthused, turning it over in his hands. "We are back in business, people!"

Mikaela's grin quickly faded. "We'd better get to New York, fast."

"Yeah." Will gave the Cube back to Sam, who placed it back in it's hiding place.

"The four of you should use the facilities here before we leave," Optimus advised them. "Perhaps purchase refreshments, too, to keep your energy levels up."

"Yeah, some food sounds really good right now," Sam said, retrieving his backpack from Jazz's back seat. "We'll be right back."

Optimus watched them hurry across the parking lot to the restrooms. As moment as they disappeared into the building, he gave the order. /_Autobots, roll out_./

/_We're not taking them with us?_/ Sideswipe questioned, disappointed; he'd enjoyed listening to Lennox talk about his family.

/_No. They'll be much safer here than in New York City,_/ Optimus reasoned, and drove at a slow pace toward the exit, as quietly as possible. /_There have been far too many senseless deaths already.../_

/_That's true._/ Sunstreaker followed his example and sneaked out of the rest area, ahead of the more reluctant Sideswipe, Bumblebee and Jazz.

* * *

_Don't listen. Just ignore them, _Mikaela told herself as two women go on and on about how the world was going to end. It was all she not to barge out there and yell at them, and she bit down on her tongue to keep quiet. The last thing everyone needed was for her to get into a fight.

To Mikaela's relief they'd both left -- still yakking incessantly -- when she came back out of the restroom stall. She washed her hands thoroughly, splashing cold water on her face before going outside. Sam, Will and Simmons were already at the snack machines, as she'd expected. "What've they got?"

"Candy, chips...more candy.." Sam heaved a sigh. "What I wouldn't give for a cheeseburger right now."

"Make it tacos for me," Mikaela said, wistfully.

"Hell, once those Cons are taken out, you guys are having dinner with me and Sarah, something home-made. You, too, Simmons," Will announced, in a very good mood now.

"Yeah, right.." Simmons snorted, skeptical of the offer, grabbed the bag of chips he bought and walked over to the soda machine.

"What's his problem?" grumbled Will.

"You want a list?" Mikaela asked, choosing the same candy bar Sam did.

"Uh.. I think I'll pass, thanks," Will quickly backtracked, buying a small bag of pretzels when it was his turn at the snacks.

"I know I would." Sam wisecracked, he and Mikaela heading back to the parking area. They both stopped in their tracks. "What the--"

"Bee?" Mikaela whispered, eyes widening as she moved a few steps closer to the parked cars. Unfamiliar, ordinary cars.

"No. No, no, _no!"_ Sam took off running toward the highway, Mikaela right on his heels. Skidding to a stop on the shoulder of the road, he shaded his eyes against the bright sunlight, staring hard at the field. "Broadside's gone. They're all gone.

"I can't believe it..." Mikaela exchanged stunned looks with Sam. "_They left us_!"


	25. Chapter 25

"They'll be fine, Jazz," Ratchet reassured him when he started tapping his fingers on the wall directly behind him.

"Yeah, I know." _Hope Sam's not too sore at me. _Jazz looked around for something to take his mind off of the yelling he expected to get later. Optimus was gazing out one of the windows, deep in thought. "Optimus? What's up?"

"Broadside, once we reach New York, I want you to take the All Spark and conceal it somewhere safe, as far away from the battle as possible," Optimus instructed. "Without leaving this planet; Megatron would sense that and pursue you."

"Yes, Sir. I understand," Broadside answered, already coming up with a plan. It would be simple to scan and reform himself as a submarine, and hide near an underwater volcano.

Optimus glanced at Jazz and Ironhide, then opened his hand and looked down at the All Spark, examining it's runes. They were identical to those of it's predecessor. "I wonder how effective this one will be," he pondered aloud, thinking of long-dead friends. There were so many...

"Do you think it's not powerful enough to save our world?" Ultra Magnus asked, concerned.

"No... I'm certain that it can create new life. What worries me are the Autobots who have passed on before." Optimus pulled open a panel and removed the piece from the first Cube. For a brief moment he considered seeing if it would combine itself with the Cube, but decided against it. "Did their sparks survive, and somehow find their way to the new All Spark, or have they been lost forever?" He looked to Ratchet in the slim hope that the medic had any answers.

"We won't know until we've returned the All Spark to Cybertron, I'm afraid." Ratchet frowned, optics half-closed in concentration. "I have a feeling one of the Seekers will try to betray us."

"Which one?" Ironhide asked, eager for an opportunity to pay the slaggers back.

"Ramjet is the most logical culprit," Prowl estimated. "Megatron may have had an ulterior motive in allowing him to remain alive and online so he could contact his brothers."

"That definitely isn't like him; he enjoys killing so much," agreed Sunstreaker, his voice filled with loathing for the Decepticon Leader.

Optimus nodded somberly. "Skywarp cannot be not be trusted, either, but I'm certain that Thundercracker is honest. He'll have to be warned about Ramjet, even if he refuses to believe it."

"Still, we should make sure all three of them are elsewhere when you give the Cube to Broadside," Ultra Magnus advised Optimus, who nodded again.

"May I look at those, Sir?" Wheeljack suddenly asked, gesturing to the All Spark and the original's remnant.

"Of course." Optimus held them out to him, and cautioned the scientist. "Do not let them touch each other. The shard is empty, as Sam would say, but it could possibly have an adverse affect on the Cube."

"I'll be careful, Sir," Wheeljack promised, an idea forming on just how to preoccupy the Seekers. There was some risk involved, but he'd never let that stop him before. If his gamble succeeds -- and he was positive that it will -- it would guarantee Megatron's defeat. He ran scans on both objects, as an excuse to hold on to them longer.

"We've reached the Interstate Exit Sixty-Three," Broadside announced a few astro-seconds later, and the other Autobots stood up.

"Stay airborne. Let the Seekers come to us," Optimus told him, looking out a window again when something began pelting it. _Rain before a battle_. He wondered if humans considered that to be some sort of omen.

While everyone's attention was away from him, Wheeljack turned toward the wall, using his body to shield what he was doing from view. Thinking hard about his plan, he held the two objects close together. A streak of blue light flashed from the All Spark to the shard, and another scan revealed a moderate level of energy in the jagged piece now. So far so good.

Quickly closing his hand around the shard, Wheeljack turned back around. Whether this new Cube was sentient or merely possessed some basic instinct would probably never be known, but, like it's predecessor, it apparently was capable of responding to strong needs. It was also neutral. Megatron was proof of that. "With your permission, Sir, I'd like to keep this piece with me, for further study later."

"All right," Optimus agreed. Perhaps he'll be able to determine if the fragment can be merged with the All Spark without weakening it.

"So, what're we gonna do about the Seekers?" asked Jazz.

"I'll deal with them," Wheeljack volunteered. Tucking the All Spark fragment away under his armor, he divulged the first part of his plan to them.

* * *

"Let them be, Skywarp!_ Now_!" Thundercracker angrily commanded when his brother caused a second accident. None of the humans had been injured when their vehicles crashed, but their screaming still bothered him.

"It's not my fault they're so easily frightened!" Skywarp protested in his own defense, but relented, moving off the roadway and rejoining Thundercracker and Ramjet behind a stand of trees. "How long are we supposed to wait?"

"Not much longer. If Prime said they'll be here, they'll be here."

"And of course he'd never lie," Ramjet sniped without thinking, drawing an angry look from Thundercracker, and hastily amended, "I only meant that we all know how honorable Optimus Prime is."

"Yes, he_ is_," Thundercracker emphasized; Prime was the exact opposite of the sadistic tyrant Megatron's become.

"There they are....finally." Skywarp directed their attention to the shuttle approaching fast from the North. Instead of finding a clear spot to land, the Autobot circled above them. Skywarp hunched down warily. _If he's thinking of attacking us--_

//_If you don't mind transporting us there, Optimus would like to reach Washington, D.C. immediately,_//Broadside relayed to them.

Thundercracker hesitated, looking at Ramjet and Skywarp for their reactions.

Ramjet shrugged, feigning disinterest to mask his glee that his strategy worked.

Somewhat mollified by the polite request, Skywarp agreed. //_All right, I will._//

//_Thank you._// Broadside hovered in place as the Seekers transformed and flew up to him.

Skywarp almost lost his grip when Broadside suddenly dropped several feet. //_Quit moving!_// he snapped. All the teleporting with the much larger Autobot was draining his energy, which always made him irritable.

//_Quit putting holes in my armor,_// Broadside grouched back at the Decepticon.

Skywarp tightened his hold in response and teleported, taking everyone to a park in the Washington city. Ramjet immediately let go of the detestable Autobot and dropped to the ground, pulverizing a fountain under his right foot. "That was clumsy," Skywarp criticized.

Ramjet ignored him and, along with Thundercracker, walked over to where Broadside landed in a clearing where outdoor concerts were often held. The ramp was lowered and Prime was the first out.

"It is--good to see you again, Thundercracker," Optimus said, hesitantly smiling as he clasped the lead Seeker's arm.

_Not for long, if you don't get your hand off him, _thought Skywarp, jealously watching them.

Thundercracker blinked in surprise at the warm greeting. "Thank you."

Scowling, Skywarp looked away, and noticed that Ramjet was watching him. //_**What?**_//

Ramjet glanced at Thundercracker and Prime before answering Skywarp. //_Nothing._//

//_It'd better stay that way,// _Skywarp growled, and brusquely interrupted those two. A _very _unfriendly glower from the black Autobot was making him even more uncomfortable. "What do we do now, Thundercracker?"

"There is one more favor we must ask of you," Wheeljack told them, coming forward to stand next to Optimus. "It can be dangerous, though."

"What do you need?" asked Thundercracker, curious.

"How dangerous?" a suspicious Skywarp said at the same time.

"We would like you to go to New York City, to let us know if all of the Decepticons leave with Megaton," Optimus explained. "The danger will be minimal, as long as they don't know you're there."

"That sounds easy enough," Ramjet commented, nonchalantly looking around at the other Autobots, and realized that the humans weren't with them. "You didn't bring your pets?"

"No," Optimus curtly replied. "If none of you have any objections, Wheeljack would like to go with you to New York."

_Where could their humans be? _wondered Skywarp, sensing a way to cause trouble for the Autobots. They must be hidden somewhere between here and Grand Junction, and would be virtually impossible to locate. Still, it wouldn't hurt to do a flyover, as soon as he gets a chance to sneak away from his brothers. "I'm not going anywhere until I get recharged by the Cube."

"It'll only recharge you if you're injured," Ramjet reminded him.

Ironhide took a step towards Skywarp. "I can help with that."

"_Stay back_!" Skywarp warned, ready to defend himself.

//_Ironhide, please don't make this even more difficult,_// Optimus beseeched the weapons specialist. The constant tension was making his processor ache. Was this alliance doomed from the start?

"I was just kidding....kind of.." Ironhide made an effort to smile, but only managed to look disgruntled.

"Someone has to do it. How about Warpath?" Sunstreaker suggested, optics glinting with mischief, and earned a hard poke in the side from Sideswipe.

"_No!_" Skywarp shouted his objection.

"Are we going to argue about everything?" Picking up on his leader's distress, Ratchet stomped over to Skywarp. "Don't move." Before the Seeker could avoid it, the rotary saw was out and slicing a thin, shallow cut across his upper right leg.

Skywarp lurched back, cursing. "_Fragging Autobot!_"

"_Get away from him!" _Ramjet charged forward, instinctively outraged by the assault on his brother.

//_You should've aimed higher!_// Sunstreaker sent to Ratchet.

"Oh, calm down. That's hardly serious damage, so stop howling," Ratchet told the pair, impatient with the dramatics, and directed a quelling look at Sunstreaker. //_Shall I try again on you?_//

//_Erm.. No, that's alright._// he hastily replied.

"....that was still rude.." Skywarp muttered before frowning at Prime. "Don't just stand there! Heal me!"

"Very well, since you asked so politely..." Optimus grumbled, withdrawing the All Spark.

"So you're the scientist?" Thundercracker addressed Wheeljack, in an effort to distract himself from the squabbling. "Megatron ordered Thunderblast to bring you to him, alive."

"All the more reason one of us should go with you, Wheeljack," Arcee insisted, having a score of her one to settle with that treacherous Femme.

"Or two of us." Sunstreaker flicked a glance at Mirage, who pointedly snubbed him.

_What was that all about? _Sideswipe wondered, and resolved to pester his twin about it later.

"I have plenty of experience in evading capture," Wheeljack answered, unconcerned. "I'll be fine."

_Yes, keep thinking that, _Ramjet thought, almost snickering at the Autobot's overconfidence. Delivering the scientist will definitely help him regain favor with Lord Megatron.

"Can we go to New York now? Sometime this vorn?" Skywarp asked, fully recharged now and bored with the conversation.

"Yes, and you're welcome," Optimus dryly replied.

"You should take Wheeljack and Ramjet to New York first. Three passengers could overtax you again," advised Ratchet.

"I suppose..." Skywarp said, though he was loathed to leave Thundercracker with _him,_even if it was just for a cycle or two. This was the last favor they were getting from him. He grabbed hold of Ramjet and Wheeljack -- roughly where the Autobot was concerned.

All three vanished, and Optimus turned to the remaining Seeker. "Thundercracker, I must ask you to listen to what Wheeljack is going to tell you, and know that you can trust him."

"--what is he going to tell me?" Thundercracker asked, puzzled. What were they up to?

To his surprise, Skywarp was back before Prime answered. "That was fast."

"I dropped them on top of some tall building near the airport. A hotel, I think it's called?" Skywarp shrugged, not caring what humans named their structures. In a hurry to get his brother away from from the Autobots -- especially Prime -- he latched onto Thundercracker's arm.

"Wait," Thundercracker started to say, then swayed on his feet, unprepared for the sudden transfer to New York. Skywarp's enraged shout cut through the disorientation.

"_What did you do to him?!?" _

Thundercracker whirled around, almost losing his balance again before straightening up. Ramjet was lying motionless on the floor, optics wide and unblinking. Wheeljack was standing a few feet away, casually leaning against a metal spire. There was a small rectangular hole in the left side of Ramjet's chest.

_"What did you do?" _Furious, and bewildered, he and Skywarp crouched protectively over their fallen brother. //_Don't fire!_// Thundercracker ordered when Skywarp levelled his cannon at Wheeljack. This made no sense at all. Optimus said this one could be trusted, and he won't be able to explain his actions if he's dead.

"He's in stasis, that's all. I disabled him before he had a chance to do the same to me," Wheeljack answered in a calm, perfectly reasonable tone of voice. "Surely you've realized that he's been spying on us?"

"_No_, we _haven't_!" Skywarp denied, itching to blast the Autobot into pieces, but a twinge of doubt gave him Ramjet was holding a grudge against them -- he could be an obstinate glitch sometimes.

Thundercracker pulled aside an armor plate. The wires encasing Ramjet's central processor had been neatly severed, just as Wheeljack said. The scientist had amazingly precise aim.

"You don't really think that Megatron spared his life out of generosity, do you?" Wheeljack continued persuasively. "I'd suggest you ask him yourself, but of course he'll only lie."

//_Can I shoot him now_?// Skywarp asked, looking hopefully at Thundercracker.

//_No...and I can't believe Ramjet's still loyal to Megatron!_//

//_Well...we can't really blame him for being created with a feeble processor.//_

_Primus, everything's getting so complicated... _Thundercracker thought, rubbing his head. "Repair him_!_" he snapped at the Autobot.

"I will, _after_we have completed our mission," Wheeljack countered. "He'll be safe enough here until we return. Optimus will be summoning Megatron in approximately three cycles."

"If you think we're--" Skywarp cut himself off. Killing Megatron was their first priority. He had to remember that, or Thundercracker's plan will be ruined. "Are there any other surprises for us?"

"Yes, there are, actually." Wheeljack watched the pair closely. "We need to discuss what became of the original All Spark, and the previous Leader of the Decepticons."

* * *

Sam jerked, startled, when Mikaela practically tossed her cell phone down on the bench he was seated at. "No luck?" he guessed.

"The cab companies aren't sending anyone out on the highways." She plopped down next to him, slumping over dejectedly. "Everyone's freaked out, thanks to those damn Cons."

"Terrific.." Sam looked over at Will, who was scanning the Eastern sky. "No sign of them," he guessed.

"Not yet." Will lowered the binoculars. "I think it's safe to say they're not coming back anytime soon. Who knows how long the battle'll last."

"Yeah.." Sam thought about asking Mikaela to call his own cell phone, but was afraid it'd distract Jazz at a very bad moment. It totally sucked not knowing what was going on over there.

Mikaela watched the wind blow leaves across the parking lot, thinking hard. Asking the military for help was out of the question. _They'd arrest Will for deserting, and probably the rest of us, too, on some trumped-up charges. Not much we can do now, except wait._

"Isn't there any way of getting us to New York?" Sam burst out, turning to Simmons as a last resort.

"Hey, don't look at me, kid!" Simmons exclaimed, uncomfortable with being stared at. "No one's telling me anything now. It's too bad your silver boyfriend didn't stick around to hack the Net for us."

Sam bit back an angry 'He's** not** my boyfriend!' retort. Right now was not the time to try to figure out his relationship with Jazz...if they'll even still have one.

"I think it's time we all had a reality check." Will sat on the other side of Sam and Mikaela's bench and ran a hand over his face. "Even if we could get to New York... We're talking about _dozens_of Decepticons, and at least eight of them can fly. We'd end up road kill if we tried to fight those."

Mikaela made a face at that gross mental image. "Wow. That's so inspirational," she griped, reluctant to admit that he was right. _God, I hope Bee's okay..._

"It's the truth," he maintained, leaning forward earnestly. "We wouldn't stand a chance those bastards."

"Not to mention the Autobots would be a little too busy to babysit you guys," remarked Simmons.

Insulted, Mikaela glared at the man. "We don't need a babysitter!"

"..can't stand this anymore.." Sam grabbed his backpack and left the bench.

"Sam?" Mikaela sat up, raking her hair back out of her face. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not gonna sit on my butt all day," he told her. "The next town's only about a mile or so away. We can find a motel there."

"We should stay put," Will argued. "The Autobots will look for us here when they're done kicking those Cons' asses."

"If they wanna know where we went, they can call us," Sam replied, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and walking off.

_Geez, he's really pissed. _Mikaela picked up her own bag and sprinted to catch up with Sam. "I'm going with you. Will, are you coming?"

Will hung back a moment, unsure if this was such a good idea, then gave in. _Better to do something than nothing_, he thought, taking out the grenade launcher. "Yeah, we'd better stay together. Keep a sharp eye out for any bad guys," he reminded them as they trekked back to the highway.

* * *

Wheeljack moved back behind the billboard he was using as a cover. "They're leaving now."

"What took them so long?" Skywarp complained, annoyed with having to hide like a runaway Sparkling. It did remind him of some of his more exciting adventures, though.

"Megatron, of course. Trying to wrest some control back from Optimus." Wheeljack glanced speculatively at the two Seekers. Thundercracker still looked disturbed by what he'd learned, unlike Skywarp. Wheeljack doubted that anything short of a critical injury hold that one's attention for more than one breem. "Is that all of them?" he asked, watching the Decepticon fliers, each one carrying passengers, take off after Megatron.

Skywarp peeked over the top of the large sign. "Yes."

"Good." Wheeljack opened a secure link to Optimus. //_All of the Decepticons are heading your way, Sir, at a leisurely pace. Trust Megatron to make things as difficult as possible.//_

//_Naturally,_// grumbled Optimus. _//Return to Washington._//

//_There's one small matter I need to attend to first, Sir. It won't take long._//

//_What matter?_// Optimus asked, a trace of apprehension in his voice now. //_What are you up to, Wheeljack?_//

//_I'd rather not go into details, Sir_,// he replied, evading the question. //_In fact, there may not be anything to report._//

//_Do__** not**__ do anything reckless,_// Optimus sternly told him, aware that it was futile to argue over a distance. Why, in the name of Primus, did Wheeljack choose this moment to become distracted? //_And do not take longer than five cycles. You're needed here_.//

//_Yes, Sir._// Wheeljack turned his attention back to Thundercracker and Skywarp once the link was broken. "Shall we go now?" he asked. As expected, it was Skywarp who balked.

"Why should we? He's lied to us plenty of times in the past," he asserted.

"But he didn't lie about the All Spark." Thundercracker paused, shaking his head._ I never thought I would ever say this... _"He shouldn't have been executed. It was--wrong."

_Wrong? He's starting to sound like Prime! _Skywarp reminded himself -- again -- that it was all an act on Thundercracker's part. An extremely disconcerting act.

Knocking the large advertising sign over, Skywarp transformed. "Grab hold, both of you," he ordered, waiting just long enough for them to get a firm grip before teleporting to Kansas.

"He's over there." Thundercracker pointed, once the odd spell of vertigo had passed.

Wheeljack turned around, flinching at the sight of the scattered parts. That had to have been excruciating. Fortunately, all he had to do was arrange the majority of them in their proper order. The All Spark fragment should connect them together and repair whatever's missing when it restores the spark.

"I think I'd better not be here when he comes back online," Skywarp decided when the scientist picked up a crushed spark casing. "I did tear off one of his arms."

"Wheeljack gave the Seeker a cold glance before controlling his anger and refocused on his task. "Yes, I imagine he will be perturbed over that."

"I'll let you know when he's calmed down," Thundercracker told his brother.

"All right." Skywarp nodded and, not divulging where he was going, promptly disappeared.

"Did you take part in the dismemberment, too?" Wheeljack inquired. Thundercracker wasn't a merciless savage like the other Decepticon soldiers. It was rather amazing that he'd escaped detection during the war.

"No. I only watched," Thundercracker answered, fidgeting guiltily. "Ramjet said the All Spark was smaller than it used to be. I should have known something was wrong." It occurred to him then that Megatron had to have known, and said nothing. That made him even angrier at his former leader.

"Well, if all goes well, you'll have a chance to apologize," Wheeljack remarked, and continued reassembling Starscream.

* * *

"Any sign of 'em?"

"Not yet. Megatron's ego seems to be overruling his greed." His optics half-shuttered against the rain, Optimus glanced at Jazz. "You were assigned to the Convention Center with Hoist and Grapple."

"Hey, I can guard your back as well as Magnus can," Jazz proudly asserted. "I'm not scared of Megatron."

"I know you aren't, but I would not care to face Sam's wrath if you should happen to dent your armor," Optimus said jokingly, trying to stay as relaxed as possible under the circumstances.

"Yep," Jazz chuckled. "He can be real fearsome sometimes."

Optimus smiled, then tensed as his sensors picked up the Decepticons' approach, sooner than he'd expected. So greed has won our after all. //_Incoming_!// he alerted everyone.

//_Wheeljack! Where are you?_//

//_I'm almost finished, Sir,_// he answered. //_I just need a few more cycles._//

//_Please hurry!_// Optimus urged the headstrong scientist, then found himself asking, //_Is Thundercracker still with you?_//

//_He is, but that nuisance brother of his decided it was prudent to be absent if---what I'm doing succeeds._//

Baffled by Wheeljack's persistent reticence, Optimus drew his ion blaster as the Decepticons came within ranger. Instead of attacking, though, Megatron led his group past the park, deliberately ignoring the Autobots on the ground.

"What the--" Jazz kept his visor and shield up as he tracked them. "They landed in the Financial District, Optimus."

"The slagger's making you to go to him," Ultra Magnus angrily stated.

"Yes.." Optimus growled, his own temper rising as he changed to truck form and sped off, with Jazz and Ultra Magnus right behind him.

* * *

_I'd better not rust from this, _Thunderblast thought, revolted by the rain dripping down her armor. "Couldn't Prime have picked a drier place?"

"Find the boy and Wheeljack, and kill the remaining Autobots," Megatron ordered, disregarding the Femme's petty grievance. The Autobots were close by; he could sense their presence. There'd been no further contact with Ramjet; his brothers must have discovered his duplicity and killed him. _An inconvenience, but no great loss, _Megatron concluded as he surveyed the area. A maze of buildings lay in ruins, many of them blackened from fires. The wide-spread destruction brought a malicious grin to his face. Megatron stepped back between two toppled skyscrapers to wait for his brother's arrival.

"Yes, Lord Megatron." Shockwave and the new Seekers transformed and flew off while the rest of the Decepticons dispersed throughout the city.

Frenzy started to follow Soundwave, then turned and scurried off in the direction the impostor had taken. Something snatched him up before he'd gone further than two city blocks. "_Let go_!" he hissed, twisting around to take a swipe at Sixshot. "Soundwave will kill you!"

"I'm terrified, of course," Sixshot jeered, giving Frenzy a warning shake before lifting the tiny drone to his eye level. "Just how long do you think Barricade will tolerate your harassment?"

_"__**Not**__ Barricade!" _Frenzy spat back at him, his thin body vibrating with frustration. "What do you _want_?!"

"I'm going to offer some advice, from one Decepticon to another." Sixshot paused as he contemplated Frenzy. "Whether you take it or not is up to you."

Frenzy stared at him in disbelief, and undisguised suspicion. "_You_ give _me _advice?"

"Astounding, isn't it?" Sixshot smiled humorlessly. "If avenging this insult to the _real _Barricade is your goal, you may want to reconsider your strategy. Open hostility is not the way to get close to his replacement, and you'll need to get _very _close in order to kill him."

"Put me _down!_" Frenzy demanded as those words echoed in his processor. _Kill him...kill him..._

"Certainly." Sixshot crouched low and set Frenzy on the ground. Frenzy looked from him to the distant 'Barricade', then rushed away to rejoin Soundwave. His conflicted expression was amusing: Hatred for the new Barricade warred with distrust and caution. It won't be long at all before Frenzy succumbs to the former, and Sixshot intended to be there when he does. Megatron will surely punish Soundwave for his drone's transgression.

_A perfect opportunity to separate Ravage from him again, _Sixshot smiled again at the prospect, and almost didn't notice the faint hum of a powered-up cannon. A plasma blast slammed into his left shoulder, spinning him around.

Snarling, Sixshot whirled back around to face his adversary. It was that yellow Autobot he'd fought before. "You again?" Scornful of the Autobot's defiant glare, he changed into his preferred beast form, his metal plating grinding in the process. "I'm surprised they bothered to use the Cube on a pathetic little scout like you."

Bumblebee growled, responding to the taunt by firing again. _This is for Mikaela. _His second shot struck the huge Decepticon square in the chest, but had little affect this time as Sixshot charged him. He stood his ground until Sixshot was ten yards away, then turned and ducked into an alleyway.

Sixshot followed, blocking the entrance with his body. Unless he planned to try to climb over the demolished buildings surrounding him, the Autobot had trapped himself.

The Decepticon stalked toward him, and Bumblebee took up a defensive stance, both missile launchers springing up from his shoulders. _Just a little closer..._

Sixshot bared sharpen fangs at his prey. "I will enjoy killing you again."

"I'm not alone this time," Bumblebee informed him, eyes gleaming with elation.

_Idiot!_Furious that he'd fallen for such an obvious trick, Sixshot sprang at the yellow Autobot the same moment that a cannon was fired from the street behind him. A single missile struck him -- in the aft, of all places. Sixshot howled at the indignity, as the force of the attack flipped him over.

//_Warpath!_// Bumblebee yelled, throwing himself to one side in an effort to avoid Sixshot, but the Decepticon was simply too big, crushing him against a mound broken concrete and steel. //_You__** glitch**__! What possessed you to shoot him_ _**there**__??_// Barely able to move under Sixshot's weight, his spark contracted with fear.

//_A stupid impulse. I'm sorry!_// Instantly contrite, Warpath ran toward them, firing three more missiles to knock Sixshot away from his teammate. Keeping one optic on the fallen Decepticon, he dragged Bumblebee out of the rubble, wincing at the vicious dents in his armor. //_Can you walk? I've got to get you to Ratchet!_//

//_I think so._.// Bumblebee took a couple tentative steps, his joints creaking.

//_I'll kill them for this!_// Sixshot vowed, running a diagnostic scan on several damaged systems. //_After I have Hook repair me._// He turned his head and, seeing that the Autobots were on the verge of escaping, kicked out at them with his hind legs.

Bumblebee screamed when one clawed foot ripped into his side, shredding armor and damaging his spark casing.

"No, _don't!_" Warpath shouted as Bumblebee frantically tapped into his reserved energy to fire at the Decepticon.

Sixshot had gathered his legs beneath him and launched himself into the air. The blast hit the center of one wing, melting a hole in it.

"_**POW!**_" Warpath watched jubilantly as the Decepticon plummeted. To his disappointment, Sixshot laborously regained altitude. He was about to take another shot of his own at Sixshot when Bumblebee slumped weakly against him.

"I'm sorry," he apologized again, holding Bumblebee up, and missing which direction Sixshot took. _Prime's going to be so pissed at me, _Warpath thought, borrowing a term he'd heard the humans use. "Do you need to recharge?"

"I just need a breem or two." Bumblebee mentally cringed: Primus, he didn't have time for this right now! "Where's Ratchet? We need to find him."

"We will." Blinking against the rain, Warpath took a quick look around once they were out of the alley. There was no sign of anyone among the ruins, Autobot or Decepticon.

"Try that way." Bumblebee pointed to their right when he hesitated, looking lost.

"Good idea," he nodded, helping Bumblebee stay upright as they set off down the street.

Drawn there by the sound of battle, Megatron decided to follow the pair to their medic.

* * *

"Triple Whopper with cheese...fries...big chocolate shake.." Sam said dreamily, eyes on the ground as he trudged along.

"I like their Chicken Tenders," Mikaela put in. That was a mistake; the mere thought of them had her stomach growling.

"Yeah, those are good, too," agreed Sam. "Maybe I'll get a Steakhouse Burger."

"You guys have food on the brain," Lennox accused them, grinning.

"We're teenagers, remember?" Sam dead-panned. "We live for Burger King."

"Are you nuts?" Simmons threw his two cents into the conversation. "Red Robin's a _lot _better."

Will chuckled. "I'm sure we'll find a decent burger-- _**Holy shit**__!"_

Sam, Mikaela and Simmons yelled as well, stumbling backward in a panic when Skywarp suddenly appeared right in front of them.

"Thereyou are," Skywarp said, as if he'd been looking for them much longer than he really had. Four humans walking next to a highway was an unusual sight. And did they have to make such noises? It grated on his audio receptors.

"Where the _hell _did you come from?" Sam asked in a hoarse voice, his heart pounding.

"Cybertron, originally."

"Oh, fun-_ny_! Hahaha!"

Will kept a death-grip on the grenade launcher as he looked everywhere. Skywarp was alone, which wasn't very reassuring. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm making sure the four of you are safe; the Autobots are worried about you," was Skywarp's explanation. They didn't need to know that he wasn't asked to do this.

Mikaela raised a skeptical eyebrow. "U-huh...."

"Well, you can go back and tell them that we're just fine," Sam huffed, and started to make a wide circle around the Seeker.

"Look out!" Will grabbed Sam and yanked him back. A dark green truck, it's driver braking hard, skidded sideways, narrowly missing them, and collided with Skywarp's right foot.

Skywarp glanced down at the bothersome vehicle, then lifted his foot to step on it.

"Stop right there!" Mikaela whipped out her cell phone and held it up. "You kill them and we'll tell Optimus---and Thundercracker will find out about it!" she threatened, invoking that last name since he seemed to genuinely care about people -- and was the only one able to keep this freak on a leash.

"....fine..." Skywarp put his foot down with ground-shaking thud, disgruntled at having to obey the puny human. The truck backed up several yards, drove across the strip of land separating the Northbound and Southbound lanes, and headed back the way it'd come from.

Mikaela let out the breath she'd been holding. "You need to get out of the road, before you cause a pileup," she said, as more tire-screeching was heard. A cop could show up any minute.

Skywarp ignored the female's advice and studied Witwicky's expression. He was definitely angry. Interesting. "Would you rather talk to the Autobots personally?" he slyly asked the boy. "They've gone to a place called Washington, D.C.. I could teleport you to there."

"Say_ what_?!?" Sam did a double take and gawked at him. "_You're _offering to take us to them?"

"Don't you want to be where all the excitement is?" Skywarp coaxed, taking a guess at the reason for the boy's foul mood. "It really wasn't fair of the Autobots to abandon you in some village."

"Maybe not, but we sure the hell aren't going anywhere with you. Right, guys?" Will turned to Sam and Mikaela, and was stunned by their thoughtful frowns. "Are you two out of your minds?"

"Look, I know we can't fight those bastards head-on, but we could at least help pick off a couple of the bigger Cons," Sam told him, trying to rationalize the need to be there. "Once we run out of grenades, Mikaela will hotwire a car -- there's gotta be plenty of those left behind -- and we can get out of the city."

"Ok, so maybe that'd work, but what makes you think we can trust _him_?" Will gestured to Skywarp.

"There's one way to be sure." Mikaela stepped even closer to the Decepticon, hands planted on hips as she adopted the harsh, authoritative voice her eleventh grade science teacher often used. "Do you swear to Primus that you'll get us safely to D.C., _and_ that you'll take us to a safe part of that city?"

"You know about Primus!?" Skywarp exclaimed, startled by the revelation.

"Primus? What the hell is Primus?" asked a baffled Will.

"From what Bee's said, it's whoever, or whatever, created the All Spark."

"You mean it didn't come from Cybertron, like they did?" Will looked from her to Sam for more info.

"It might've." Sam shrugged helplessly. "All we know is that they worship it..him..whatever."

"You're saying we can trust this one because of some stupid alien fairy tale?" Simmons snorted in disbelief.

_Fairy tale? _Skywarp searched his data bank for that phrase. The result infuriated him. "_Do not insult Primus_!" he snarled, looming over the offending human male.

"Whoa! Whoa there!" Simmons backed away from him, hands in the air. "Settle down!"

"Never mind him!" Greatly daring, Mikaela rapped her knuckles on Skywarp's foot. "Answer me! Do you swear?"

_They told their pets about Primus.. _Skywarp stared blankly down at her for a moment, stymied. "Yes. I swear to Primus I'll take you there, unharmed."

Sam coughed to smother a laugh at Mikaela trumping a robot ten times her size. Was he about to pout?

"See?" Mikaela flashed the victory sign to Sam behind her back while talking at Simmons and Will. "They take Primus _really _seriously."

"Apparently..." Simmons kept his distance from the Seeker.

_Unbelievable.. _Will shook his head at Sam and Mikaela. "You're gonna go with him no matter what I say, aren't you?"

"Do you wanna spend all day in a hotel room, watching t.v.?" Sam challenged him.

"Man..." he muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face, "I am_ so_ going on vacation when this is over!"

"You're finished arguing?" Vexed by the delay, Skywarp reached down to pick up all four irritating humans.

"Oh, no. No way!" Sam refused, jumping back from that giant hand. "Last time I was teleported like this I got a monster headache. We need a car."

"It would be a tragedy if your processor collapsed," Skywarp snidely remarked, and glanced at a group of spectators that had gathered nearby to take pictures of him. "Use one of their vehicles."

"No! Don't hurt them!" Mikaela yelled after him when he started toward those people.

_Can she be any more demanding? _he wondered. The other humans, realizing that he was heading their way, now decided that they'd better leave. "Which one do you want?"

"Uh.. That one there." Sam pointed to a white SUV.

Skywarp placed his hand on top of it to keep it in place. "_**Get out**_," he told it's occupants in a loud, booming voice, and gave the SUV a small shake for good measure. That did the trick, although he would have liked a chance to frighten them even more with his cannon.

The three young female passengers threw open the doors, jumped out and ran off screaming.

"Well...at least he didn't hurt them," Will caustically observed.

"Yay.." Mikaela tossed the Seeker an annoyed look, which he didn't notice, and hurried over to the SUV.

"..crazy kids..." Simmons said under his breath as he followed the trio. Things were going to get dicey, he just knew it.

Skywarp smiled slyly, an idea on how to get even with them coming to him. "Ready?" he asked with outward politeness, watching the two younger humans climb into the SUV.

"Just don't forget your promise," Sam told him, sitting next to Mikaela, who'd claimed the driver's seat.

"I won't."

"We're ready," Will said once all four doors were closed.

_Slow creatures..._Skywarp closed one hand around the vehicle, the tips of two fingers digging into the the locking mechanisms of the front doors.

'What was that?' Mikaela started to ask just as Skywarp teleported. In the blink of an eye they were in Washington, and it was pouring out.

"Christ. We're gonna have to find raincoats, pronto." Will got out first to look around, with Simmons a couple seconds behind him. "Is that what I think it is?"

"It was Union Station," Simmons replied, sickened by the sight of the razed landmark.

_It's going to cost a fortune to rebuild.._

"Come on..." Sam pulled the handle again and shoved harder on the door, but it didn't budge. "My door's jammed!"

"Dammit, Skywarp!" Mikaela cursed, trying her door, then banged on the window. "_Will_!"

"Mikaela?" Will spun around and yanked at the outside handle, and was knocked onto his rear in a deep puddle when Skywarp picked the SUV up. "_Hey_!"

"Are you injured?"

"No." He got to his feet, glaring daggers at the Seeker; the bastard sounded bored. "_Put them down_!"

"Oh, I will." Skywarp grinned openly. "I promised to bring you here safely, but I never said I'd take leave all of you in the same location."

"Don't even--" Will began, but both the Decepticon and the SUV had vanished. "_**Sonofabitch!**_"


	26. Chapter 26

Warning: Character deaths

* * *

"_Knock it o--Off!_" Teeth rattling, Sam bounced in his seat when the SUV was dropped.

"_Skywarp_!" Mikaela pulled on the door handle again, then tried to roll the window down -- the owner had conveniently left the key in the ignition -- but they didn't work now, either. "Take us back!"

"Why? It's quiet and _safe _here. Enjoy it while it lasts." Skywarp chortled at the trick he played on the humans before leaving them there.

"_You fucking_ _brat_!" she yelled at the spot he'd occupied a heartbeat ago. "_Ahr_!"

"Dammit... Try the back!" Sam scrambled past the front seats. The left side door opened easily, saving him the trouble of breaking a window. He and Mikaela almost fell out of the SUV in their hurry.

"I'll get him for this, _somehow!_" Too pissed off to realize how ludicrous that sounded, and rapidly getting soaked by the rain, Mikaela looked around. That pain-in-the-ass had dumped them in front of a WalMart store.

"Oh, _crap! _He said 'enjoy it while it lasts'. The Decepticons must be around here somewhere!" Sam grabbed her hand and they ran into the store through a door that had been broken open. "Geez." He whistled at the mess that greeted them. "Looks like a tornado came through here."

"Looters," Mikaela stated distastefully, calming down a bit as she ventured further inside. At least the lights had been left on -- it was so eerily silent in here. Sam went back and shoved the doors open all the way, so they could hear if any Decepticons or Autobots come stomping by, but so far there were none. Skywarp must have just been trying to scare them. "You know, I don't know how Thundercracker puts up with him."

"Can't pick your family," Sam remarked, then felt like banging his head against a wall for reminding Mikaela of her dad. "We'd better get out of these wet clothes before we catch pneumonia."

"Right." Mikaela nodded, grateful for the change in subject.

Sam went to get some towels, new socks and boots, while she raided the Men's and Women's sections. At his insistence, they used the restrooms to change in. Mikaela found it a little funny that Sam would worry about modesty at a time like this. In record time they were dressed in new warm clothes, and she tried calling Will as they headed back to the front of the building. "Guess my phone's not water-proof."

"I'll go see if there's any left here."

"Ok. I'll be in Customer Service," she said, vigorously rubbing her still-damp hair with a towel. "We need to get back to Union Station, fast. Will has all the weapons."

"Weapons would be good." He nodded and rushed off towards the Electronics section.

Mikaela left her towel at a cash register and went over to the Customer Service area to rummage through the desk drawers. A letter had the store's address on it. "Alright.." she breathed, and turned on one of the computers.

"Found some phones!" Sam hollered, his voice echoing back to her in the empty store. "Maybe we should take a couple chainsaws, too."

"If they run on gas, yeah! Hope it stops raining." Mikaela Googled for directions to Union Station, imagining sticking the chainsaw up Skywarp's--- _Ew. _She put the brakes on that line of thinking.

"Got 'em!" Sam came jogging back, carrying two chainsaws. "They're kinda small, though."

"They'll do." The corners of her mouth lifted in a small, hard smile. "Decepticons can't stand without their feet."

"That's dirty," Sam protested, then thought of what they did to Glen,

and a lot of other people. "--which I have no problem with it."

"Neither do I." Mikaela studied the map she'd printed out while Sam wrapped plastic bags around the chainsaws' motors to keep them dry. "Hey, Union Station's less than two miles away!"

"But there's no telling what we'll run into on the way there," he pointed out, glancing nervously out the window before dialing Will's number. "This phone's not working either."

"Figures. Soundwave must've taken out the cell towers." Mikaela took the chainsaw Sam offered her. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," he declared, zipping up his raincoat.

They both put on L.A. Dodgers baseball caps and, making as little noise as possible, went back outside. Stealthily checking the trunk of every car left in the parking lot, Mikaela 'borrowed' a full gas can for the chainsaws, then they began their hike to Union Station.

* * *

Rechecking her crossbow, Arcee watched, apprehensive, as Prowl left the crumbling building they'd taken cover in and ventured into the street. Despite her voiced misgivings, he was using himself as bait.

//_There are two Seekers heading toward you,_// Prowl sent to the twins, tracking the enemy as they flew over the city.

//_We're_ _looking forward to saying hello to them._//

Prowl frowned at the eager delight in Sunstreaker's voice. //_Be careful,_// he said, even though he knew those two rarely listened to advice. Still, their unorthodox methods were exceptionally effective in battle against fliers. It didn't take long at all -- one-point-six cycles, to be exact - for a Decepticon to come after him, directed here by the Seekers. It was Scavenger, weaving his way through the remnants of other buildings. He had a reputation for being a remarkably inept warrior, but where one Constructicon was, the others were certain to be near.

Arcee stepped out into the open, hoping to draw the Decepticon out of hiding so they could get a clear shot at him. "Will you need help with this one, Prowl?"

//_I've found Prime's military strategist, and a Femme!_// Scavenger excitedly told his teammates, and his new friend, Shortround.

//_Don't try to fight them alone,_// ordered Scrapper.

//_I can take these two,_// Scavenger insisted, more to himself than to his leader.

//_Wait for us_!// Hook reiterated.

"I don't believe so." Prowl made a 'hmm' sound, catching a glimpse of a large cannon. "You were given a new weapon, Scavenger?"

"I've killed scores of Autobots with it before I left Cybertron," Scavenger bragged, before ducking inside a burned-out library.

"You mean you finished off the wounded," Arcee scathingly retorted.

"Of course. The only targets he can hit are ones that don't move," Mirage spoke up then. "Do be careful, Scavenger. We don't want you to accidentally shoot yourself."

Scavenger spun around, panicking at the voice coming from somewhere behind him. His cannon smacked against a wall, loudly putting a hole in the concrete. //_There's a third Autobot!_//

//_We're almost there!_// Longhaul answered.

Scavenger started to back out of the library, pointing his cannon in every direction, but his scanners didn't pick up anyone else in here with him. "..where did you do?" he wondered aloud, nervously looking behind him. Just a few more steps and he'll be out of this creepy building.

"I haven't gone anywhere."

_Who--- _Scavenger turned to find an Autobot standing in front of him. _Oh, no!_

Mirage whirled, delivering a powerful kick to the Decepticon's midsection.

//_Help!_// Scavenger wailed, firing as he crashed through the wall.

"Is_ that _the best you can do?" Mirage asked, easily dodging the wild shot.

"_No!_" Scavenger sprang to his feet and fired several more times. The entire left side of the building erupted in flames. _I got him?!_

//_Mirage!_// Arcee shouted when a section of the ceiling caved in, and raced to the library, Prowl following close behind.

//_I'm perfectly all right,_// he assured them.

//_You're late,_// Prowl admonished Mirage for his tardiness in joining them.

//_Yes, yes. I'm here now, though._//

_It's not fair.. _Scavenger thought miserably when the Autobot strode outside, from the right side of the building.

"Scavenger really does have atrocious aim," Mirage disdainfully remarked.

"Yes, but _they _don't!" Arcee warned as the other four Constructicons came charging down both ends of the street toward them.

//_Mirage, you engage Mixmaster and Long Haul_,// ordered Prowl.

//_Yes, Sir,_// he replied, having already made himself invisible again.

//_Hook, my targeting system needs readjusting!_// Scavenger said, frustrated at being largely ignored now by the Autobots.

//_Not now!_// Hissing in pain when several missile darts pelted his torso, Hook picked up an over-turned automobile and hurled it at the Femme.

Prowl flicked a glance at Arcee. There was no need for concern, though. She leaped out of the vehicle's way, firing again at Hook in mid-flip. _Ironhide trained her __**very **__well,_ he thought, admiring her agility while exchanging fire with Scrapper.

"By the Pit!" Long Haul skidded to a stop. A third Autobot was suddenly there, between him and the other two.

//_Where did he come from?_// Mixmaster asked, slipping a little on the wet pavement. These humans would use a material that provided virtually no traction!

//_Why are you asking me?_// Long Haul have him a push to the left so they'd flank their new opponent...who suddenly wasn't there anymore. "He's gone!"

"I didn't know the Autobots have a teleporter!" Mixmaster looked about warily, optics scanning the area.

"They don't, actually." Reappearing on top of a delivery truck, Mirage aimed his rifle at them and fired. The shot struck Mixmaster squarely in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

Long Haul moved to stand in front of Mixmaster and fired back, but the Autobot had vanished again. "How--"

"It's called invisibility." Mirage projected his voice to keep the Decepticon from pinpointing his location. "As for why you've never heard of me, everyone who's found out didn't live very much longer afterward. And neither will you," he jovially added, though he'd really like nothing better than to get this unpleasant business over with as quickly as possible.

Unsettled by the threat, Long Haul looked over at Hook and Scrapper for help, but they had problems of their own fighting the other two Autobots, especially with that Femme vermin.

"I thought Autobots...believed in a f-fair fight," Mixmaster's voice crackled as he attempted a quick self-repair.

"I stopped fighting fairly when you Decepticons butchered Tracks," Mirage coldly answered, taking aim at Long Haul.

The shot almost knocked Long Haul down. //_Scavenger! Would you be useful for once?!_//

//_I am!!//_ Scavenger had yanked open a panel to check for loose wires. //_Stop shouting at me!_// he added, stressed out.

//_Forget_ _that!_// Shortround urged, reaching his side. //_Find one of those gas flows._//

"Oh!" _Now why didn't I--egh! _He slapped closed the panel and began a deep scan on the street. //_Here!_// Kneeling next to the spot, Scavenger tore up chunks of concrete.

Shortround crouched next to the hole he'd made, punched a hole in the exposed pipe and let loose a stream of plasma. Gouts of fire blew the manhole lids into the air.

_Yes! _Scavenger bounced excitedly. The black-and-white Autobot was right next to one of the outlets, and the iron disc struck him with a satisfying crunch. Scavenger's enjoyment was dampened, though; the Autobot didn't make a sound when he staggered, clutching his right side.

Momentarily distracted, Arcee was sent flying when Hook got close enough to backhand her.

//_Arcee?!_// Prowl worriedly queried, fending off both Hook and Scrapper now.

//_I'm all right._// Stoically disregarding the cracks in her faceplate, Arcee rejoined the fight, luring Scrapper away from Prowl.

Relieved that she wasn't seriously injured, Prowl noted that several nearby buildings were in flames, thanks to Shortround and Scavenger. The Constructicons were a surly, disreputable group. Why had Shortround decided to help them? Prowl disliked unusual occurrences such as that; they tended to disrupt his logic center. //_Mirage!_//

//_I'll take care of them,_// Mirage answered, firing one last shot into Mixmaster's prone body. Long Haul had already been eliminated, and lay sprawled out on the ground.

//_What was that?_// Shortround looked about frantically. Those shots had literally come out of nowhere.

Scavenger cowered behind him. //_The invisible Autobot!_//

//_**Invisible?!**_// Shortround flew into a panic, firing plasma in random directions.

_That was too close. _Mirage backed up several paces, his lower legs nearly singed by the plasma. While waiting for the air to clear, he took aim at Hook. The well-placed shot struck the Constructicon medic's right leg and he went down, giving Arcee a brief respite.

//_Thank you, Mirage_,// the Femme sent to him.

//_You're welcome._// He moved in on Shortround and Scavenger again. Stopping just three feet away from them, he made himself visible, to frighten those two even more.

"Agh!" Shortround jumped, almost falling over Scavenger, when the Autobot assassin reappeared before him. //_Move_!//

//_Sorry!_// Scavenger scrambled out of the way.

Recovering his balance, Shortround noticed the colors. Blue and white. _**"YOU**_!"

Baffled by the hate-filled expression, Mirage hesitated. "Who are _you?" _he inquired, fairly certain he's never met this one before. Instead of answering, Shortround apparently felt brave enough now to fight.

_"You won't have her!" _Shortround yelled, and plowed into his rival.

"Slagging_ oaf!" _growled Mirage, dropping his rifle to keep it from being damaged when the Decepticon crashed into him. Letting himself tumble backwards, he masked himself again as he threw Shortround off.

//_Shortround, don't!_// Scavenger squeaked, almost off-lining in fear. What in Primus' name was he thinking, trying to fight someone who can turn invisible?

_'Her'?_ _Of course... Thunderblast._ _Well, isn't this ironic? I'm trying to avoid her, and I find one of her conquests, _Mirage thought, with a surge of anger that he told himself was over lowering his guard. "Who's going to stop me? _You?" _he taunted, taking advantage of Shortround's obvious jealousy.

"_**I'll kill you!**_" he roared, shooting a large cloud of plasma in the direction of that mocking voice.

_I've got to do something! _Looking around for a way to help his friend, Scavenger spotted the Autobot's rifle. The moment he made a grab for it, the weapon disappeared, and something hard struck him in the face before disappearing. He cried out, slapping a hand over a smashed left optic and fell against a tree, flattening it.

"_Scavenger_!" Shortround shrieked, firing more plasma in random directions.

"A friend of yours, is he? How _touching_," Mirage scoffed at the notion, firing several rounds at his chest.

"...no..." he uttered, convulsing as the shots burned through thick plates, exposing his spark casing. One more put a swift end to his agony.

_That was--oddly satisfying, _Mirage mused, watching the Decepticon fall, lifeless, to the ground. A passing shadow drew his gaze skyward. //_Prowl, it's Sixshot!_//

//_Retreat!_// Prowl broke away from Scrapper with some difficulty, losing a chunk of armor in the process.

"Oh, no, you don't!" His cannon disabled, Scrapper lunged at the Autobot, knocking him down.

_Great Primus, no! _Arcee froze in horror when Sixshot landed next to the two combatants, snapping at the Autobot who scrambled back from him. //_Prowl!_// Shaking off the paralysis, she uprooted a lamp post and threw it just as those massive jaws closed around his head and shoulders. The post speared the Decepticon through the neck. Mirage also came to their aid, firing at the wound Arcee had given Sixshot, who snarled, forced to drop Prowl to contend with the new, unseen threat.

//_Go. Now!_//Mirage prompted them, keeping the Decepticon preoccupied while they escaped.

"Ratchet shouldn't have any difficulty mending those fractures," stated Prowl, scanning Arcee's face once they were safely away from the Decepticons.

"This is nothing. _You're _the one who was nearly bitten in half," she pointed out, and wasn't at all surprised when he shrugged dismissively. Prowl was one of the most single-minded Autobots she's ever known, and would never put his own safety above completing a task.

"I hadn't anticipated Sixshot helping them. Or Shortround, for that matter," he said, still bothered by their unexpected arrival.

"I think Sixshot came to get help, not give it. Someone's already damaged him," Arcee told Prowl, fervently hoping that whoever was responsible for it survived the fight.

"That could have gone better," Mirage grumbled, giving Prowl a start by appearing beside him.

"Not even you would have lasted long against Sixshot," Arcee told him.

"We were partially successful: There are three less Decepticons to face now," added Prowl. "Our orders are to regroup with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker." He and Arcee continued walking toward the West side of the city.

Mirage stayed where he was, looking back in the direction of the library. It irked him that the remaining Decepticons still lived, but there was a more pressing matter that needed attending to. "I'll meet you there shortly. There's something I must take care of."

"Don't let personal grudges cloud your judgement," a frowning Prowl cautioned him.

"I'm not, Sir," Mirage replied, perturbed by the accusation. _As if I'm some inexperienced Youngling..._ "It won't take long."

"All right," Prowl agreed, after a moment's consideration. "But be quick about it, please."

"I'll certainly try to." Mirage nodded slightly to him, became invisible again and strode off in search of that nettlesome Femme, Thunderblast.

* * *

The faint sound of broken concrete shifting warned Ratchet of the drone's close proximity. He turned, rotary saw whirring, but Ravage had already scrambled back out reach. It glared venomously back at him as it sprinted away.

//_Get down!_// shouted Ironhide.

Ratchet obeyed without question, flinging himself to the ground. "_Uh.._" he grunted when razor-sharp talons grazed his back. It was one of those miniature fliers that Soundwave often used as scouts. He heard, and felt the searing heat, of a cannon blast striking the second drone. Ratchet rolled over and leaped to his feet; Soundwave had to be nearby. Ironhide brushed past him, intent on capturing the drone flopping about in front of a garment store.

Buzzsaw saw the black Autobot looming over him, strained to get his crumpled wings to work, but failed and was snatched up in one large hand.

"Was it you?" Ironhide gave the drone a fierce shake. "Did you kill Maggie?"

"Deserved to die!" Buzzsaw spat back, recklessly defiant despite having no idea who this Maegee was. The Autobot's optics darkened with fury, making him tremble.

"It could have been any of them; we'll never know which," Ratchet said, with a disgusted look at the drone.

"_Bah! _Well...I said I'd kill 'em all, anyway." And with that, Ironhide squeezed hard. The drone let out an '_Eeeee_' noise as it was crushed, then went limp and silent.

"Good _God_!"

"Huh?" Ironhide blinked, he and Ratchet glancing around for the source of that new voice, and saw the two human males standing next to a line of four blue containers a short distance away.

"_Major Lennox_?" Ratchet exclaimed, astonished to see him and Agent Simmons. "What in the Pit are you doing here?!"

"Uh..." Will stood and stepped out from behind the mailboxes, looking away as Ironhide dropped that robotic bird and walked toward him. _This is war, after all, _he firmly told himself. _---but, damn, that was brutal! _"It was Skywarp."

"_Skywarp_?" Ironhide repeated, scowling at Will. "You asked that hunk of scrap to bring you here?"

"Not exactly," answered Simmons. "He offered. Then Banes brought up that Primus thing and made Skywarp swear he'd help us."

"She _**what**_**?" **Ironhide's jaw dropped in disbelief at the audacity.

"There is a problem," Will added, and started to tell them about Skywarp's stunt with Mikaela and Sam when Ratchet interrupted.

"Argue about this later." Ratchet hunched over, his senses jarred. "Soundwave is coming, and he's _very _angry."

"Bring it on." Grim-faced, Will started loading two grenade launchers for himself and Simmons. Hopefully Sam and Mikaela will manage to get away from Skywarp and hook up with some of the other Autobots.

Ironhide glowered down at him and Simmons. "You're leaving this city."

"Sure, _after_ we help you kill these sick bastards," Will insisted. _No way in hell am I running from this fight._

"We can take cover in there." Simmons pointed to a courthouse one street over. It was still intact, mostly, having fared better than Union Station and Georgetown University. "How're your sniper skills, Lennox?"

"Good enough." Tossing one of the grenade launchers to Simmons, he whispered a quick prayer. "Ok, let's do this." Will took off at a run, leading the way toward the courthouse.

Ironhide moved to his left to conceal the humans' flight, a few astro-seconds before Soundwave rounded a corner two blocks away.

//_Laserbeak, retrieve Buzzsaw's body,_// Soundwave ordered as he strode towards the Autobots, determined to return the favor and break them with his bare hands. The large one was Ironhide, Prime's weapons expert; those over-sized cannons of his were legendary.

Surprisingly, Ironhide didn't attack first, as expected. It was the smaller, greenish Autobot who stepped forward and fired. Bracing himself for the impact, Soundwave crossed his arm protectively over his chest compartments.

"Careful, Ratchet. Don't go near him," Ironhide advised out loud, keeping out of Ratchet's way, but ready to help if needed. "I've seen his handiwork before."

Ratchet nodded in acknowledgement, not taking his optics off the Decepticon. The blast must have been painful, but, except for flexing his left arm, Soundwave showed little sign of that. _His armor's stronger than most Decepticons'. Courtesy of Mixmaster, no doubt, _Ratchet assumed, irate over his inability to stop the Decepticon's relentless advance. He lowered his cannon - letting Soundwave get within arm's reach might be the only way to inflict any real damage, regardless of Ironhide's warning.

_So this is Ratchet, Prime's indispensable counselor. _Soundwave slowed his pace. His sensors had detected no other Autobots nearby, but the behavior of these two made him suspicious. Ratchet stood his ground, while Ironhide appeared content to simply stand back and watch. //_Ravage!_//

//_Yes, yes...._// Ravage grumbled and slunk past demolished shops, circling around to come up behind the Autobots.

"---Buzzsaw?" Ratbat nudged the lifeless body, ears drooping mournfully.

//_Take him away,_// Soundwave repeated, looking past Ratchet. Ironhide had noticed Ratbat's presence and started toward him. //_Now, Ravage_!//

"C'mere!" Ironhide snatched up the winged drone when it tried to fly away with the dead one.

Ratbat hissed angrily, dropped Buzzsaw, and bit the Autobot's hand.

"Uhn," Ironhide grunted, bringing his other hand up to snuff out the struggling drone's spark.

Ravage choose that moment to dash across the street, but just as he began to spring at Ironhide's back, something struck his neck. It exploded on contact, drawing a scream from him as he was flipped upside-down. The Autobot spun around and smacked him away. Ravage slammed into the pavement, tumbling end over end.

//_**Ravage**__!_// Soundwave almost charged forward then, but curbed his anger with some effort. Blind rage would only lead to a fatal mistake. _So they're not alone after all_. //_Frenzy, Laserbeak! Find the hidden Autobot!_//

Twisting his head around, Ratbat sank his fangs into a finger, tearing it off and spitting it out.

"Slaggin' Pit-spawn!" Ironhide cursed, losing his grip on the drone.

//_...hurts..._// Ravage dragged himself to his feet, tottering. His neck plating was bashed in, compressing the gears, which, after the rough landing, left his head tilted sideways; he couldn't straighten it no matter how hard he tried.

//_Fall back, Ravage!_// Soundwave abandoned his original -- and admittedly irrational -- strategy, firing his concussion blaster at Ironhide to stop him from going after the Ravage or Ratbat. The shot knocked the bulky Autobot down, but he was quick to get back up.

With Ratbat hovering over him, Ravage dashed off in a zig-zag pattern, away from the battle.

//_Want me to take him out, Ratchet?_// asked Ironhide, his cannons humming with power, pointing at Soundwave.

//_No__**!**_// "Fight _me_, you scrap heap!" Ratchet snarled, releasing his rotary saws and throwing them at the Decepticon.

Soundwave was forced to duck to avoid the pair of lethal discs spinning toward his head. They embedded themselves harmlessly in the wall of a building "You..." He turned his attention, and blaster, back to Ratchet. The intense glare directed at him piqued Soundwave's curiosity. "Why so _angry, _Autobot?" he inquired, coolly studying his foe. "Was someone close to you killed, perhaps?"

"_Shut up_!" Ironhide clenched his injured hand, itching to blast him into slag, but Ratchet wouldn't appreciate that. And where did those fragging drones sneak off to? _Lennox and Simmons better be long gone by now. _

"It must have been recent," Soundwave continued. Prime's band had left Cybertron over a hundred vorns ago. Who could it be? _Not the Autobot that Sixshot ripped apart, _he concluded. Optimus Prime would have used the Cube to resurrect him, as he did with Ironhide. The Autobots' wrath indicated that whoever they'd lost could not be restored. One of this planet's inhabitants? He recalled the small female that Frenzy slew in the underground cavern.

Soundwave tensed then, hearing the sound of approaching footsteps. If they were more Autobots... Calling for aid was not an option: It would be viewed as a sign of weakness. "Were you really foolish enough to become attached a _human_?" he asked Ratchet, planning on using him to get away and regroup with Ravage and the others -- if he can be goaded into disregarding his friend's warning. "They're such fragile, untidy creatures."

"_**Enough!**_" Livid, and relying on his cannon again, Ratchet closed the distance between them, since Soundwave seemed disinclined to do so himself.

_Yes...come closer_. Soundwave smiled inwardly, though the cannon blasts rocked him back on his heels. The moment Ratchet was close enough, Soundwave's right hand shot out and caught him about the middle of his body.

"I _told _you to be careful." Ironhide complained, then grinned at the nasty surprise Soundwave was about to receive.

"I_ tried _to." A flick of the wrist unsheathed a third saw, built the previous day from armor salvaged from Hardtop. Sparks flew as Ratchet drove it into the Decepticon's chest.

"**Argh!**" Soundwave jerked Ratchet away from him. The blade had sliced through the thick metal armor, perilously close to his spark. Luckily, his spark casing was positioned lower than normal, due to the oddly-designed vehicle he'd scanned as an alternate form -- and Soundwave never imagined he'd be thankful to that species for anything. However, while not instantly fatal, the saw still caused significant damage.

"_**No!**_" Warpath bellowed, horrified to see their Chief Medical Officer in Soundwave's grasp.

//_Frenzy, Laserbeak! Leave off your hunt. We are outnumbered._// Grabbing Ratchet's saw arm, Soundwave twisted it until he heard gears and cables snap, accompanied by a muted cry of pain, then forcefully threw him at the newcomers.

_Primus... _Warpath had to let go of Bumblebee to catch the medic.

Ironhide shot a perfunctory missile at Soundwave, more concerned now about his injured friend than the Decepticon. "**Ratchet!**"

_"Don't let him escape_!" Ratchet demanded, cradling his now-useless arm close to his body as Warpath set him down.

"He can wait." Ironhide met his fierce gaze steadily. "Soundwave won't go far, not in that shape. What I want to know is _why isn't he dead_?!"

"---He may have been rebuilt, on Cybertron." Ratchet turned to stare hard in the direction Soundwave had slipped away in.

"After the Tyger Pax battle?" Bumblebee half-sat, half-fell onto the hood of an automobile.

"Probably." Warpath moved to hover over Bumblebee again. "Bumblebee's hurt...and so are you," he added, looking worriedly at Ratchet's arm. "Should we call Hoist?"

"No, I'll use my holoform to repair myself and Bumblebee." Ratchet was about to activate it when a sense of foreboding swept over him. _Primus... _He turned back around abruptly.

"Stay absolutely still," he instructed, the holoform materializing to stand on Bumblebee's legs, a miniature welder in one hand. "I--we don't have much time."

"Ratchet?" Bumblebee weakly inquired, concerned by the urgent tone. "What do you sense?"

"Megatron," Ratchet answered simply, diverting more power to his holo in order to repair Bumblebee's spark casing as quickly as possible, while he still had the chance to.

* * *

"Damnit._"_ Will crouched back down under the window sill. "Missed it's head."

"Yeah, but you still knocked it out of the fight," Simmons said, taking a peek. That cat thing looked like it was drunk.

"Good." Grabbing his duffel bag, he and Simmons left the third-story room, heading downstairs. Now that the Decepticon knew where they're at, getting trapped on the top floor was a bad idea.

_At least the rain's finally let up, _Will thought once they were outside. His wet clothes were getting pretty damn itchy, though. He looked back at where they'd left the Autobots, debating the risk of going to see if they'd taken out Soundwave.

"Ok, I think we'd better get the hell outta here," remarked Simmons. A scrabbling noise was heard, and he jerked around, raising his grenade launcher at the courthouse roof. "As in _now_! One of those drones followed us."

"This way." Watching for any signs of movements, Will started off at fast jog down the middle of the street, heading away from the battle.

"We'll go faster if we take one of these cars. Banes....well... she's not the only one who knows how to hotwire them."

Will's eyebrows shot up at that very reluctant admission. "No kidding?!"

"Don't. Ask."

"That's fine with me." _Weirdo. _He stood guard while Simmons went to work on a parked Mercedes.

//_What are they doing now?_// Frenzy asked Laserbeak.

//_Don't know._// He hissed, perturbed that the humans no longer seemed frightened, and was prepared to swoop down at them when they received Soundwave's new orders.

//_Frenzy, Laserbeak! Leave off your hunt. We are outnumbered._//

//_Have found two humans. No Autobot,_// Frenzy informed him.

//_One is SectorSeven!_// Laserbeak excitedly announced, after scanning the being's features and matching it to a section of the humans' records Soundwave had copied and given to him. //_We kill it?!_//

Half a cycle passed before Soundwave answered the request. //_Yes. Kill both, but make certain there is __**no**__ trace left of their bodies._//

//_We will!_// Scaling the safety railing, Frenzy jumped down to the ground, scooting underneath a vehicle when one of the insects looked his way, alerted by the sound he'd made.

"Hurry!" His weapon trained on the red truck, Will heard Simmons mutter something but couldn't quite make it out. A couple seconds later the car started.

"Get in!" Simmons hollered, checking the gasoline level. Half a tank should be enough to make it to Delaware, or wherever.

_"..._here's a going-away present.." Firing a couple grenades, Will yanked the Merecedes' passenger door open and tossed his back in as the truck exploded. He turned to get in and close the door, and something hit his back, digging what felt like a dozen sharp knives into his shoulders.

"Simmons!" He threw himself to the ground and rolled, dislodging the thing. Soundwave had sent one of his not-so-little flying drones, too! Will used the butt of his grenade launcher as a club, trying to fend it off when it came at him again.

Hissing when the weapon struck him in the face, Laserbeak clawed it into splinters in an effort to reach the human.

"_Hey_!" Simmons jumped out and circled the car. "Get off him, you damn vulture!" he yelled, kicking the bird thing away from Lennox.

Frenzy whimpered, the pavement rubbing against his scorched armor as he crawled out of the wreckage. That will take at least a breem to self-repair. "_Filthy insects!" _He stood up straight and fired a pair of shurikens.

"Look out!" Will grabbed Simmons' right leg and tripped him, and heard the first drone screech in anger when those discs missed their target. Unfortunately the save left him and Simmons vulnerable to another attack by the bird drone.

Seizing the opportunity, Laserbeak flew at the SectorSeven human, claws slashing at it's face. It let out a gratifyingly loud scream, limbs thrashing, then collapsed.

"_Sonofa-_--" Will shot at the drone, the grenade exploding and knocking it for a loop. The burned drone scampered over to it, gibbering, then both glared balefully at him.

"Stay back!" He blanched, realizing there was only one grenade left in his gun, and glanced at Simmons.

The man was still alive -- his chest was moving, almost imperceptibly -- but his face looked like someone had taken a giant cheese grater to it. _Jesus... _Will swallowed convulsively and looked back at the drones stalking toward him. Simmons had dropped his own grenade launcher when he was attacked: It had fallen into the car and lay across the floor of the front seats, loaded with four grenades. He slowly stood and inched his way toward the open door, prepared to use his last grenade to keep the drones at bay long enough for him to grab the gun.

"Kill the insects _now_!_" _raved Frenzy, readying more shurikens.

"_Yes!_" Laserbeak enthusiastically agreed, until he noticed the large shape in the sky and squawked in alarm. "No kill!"

Will hesitated, fingers on the trigger, when both drones looked up, then bowed low to the ground, prostrating themselves. _Oh, shit.... _The roar of a powerful engine confirmed his worst fears, followed by an earth-shaking 'thud'. He was pitched forward into the Mercedes' rear bumper, painfully banging his knees against it. Limping, he turned around, and froze at the sight of the giant Decepticon standing in front of him. "...can't be.." Will rasped. What the hell was he doing here? And what happened Optimus Prime?

Frenzy immediately offered the humans to his leader. "Lord Megatron! We caught two of the Autobot pets for you!"

"Oh? Is _that _what you were doing?" Megatron asked scathingly, taking in Frenzy's pathetic condition as he reached down to pluck the two humans off the ground.

_Move, you idiot! _Will kicked his brain into gear and dove for the open door. He closed his free hand around the spare launcher, but lost both weapons when he was grabbed and pulled out, seeing stars when his shoulders were smacked against the edge of the roof.

"Lord Megatron is pleased?" Laserbeak ventured, rustling his wings anxiously.

Will gulped back a wave of nausea as he was lifted, swinging, by one leg. _Never thought it'd end like this... _Closing his eyes, he thought of his family, and prayed that whatever Megatron planned to dish out would be quick.

Megatron examined the two fleshlings. Wounded and leaking red fluid, blood, they were not on the verge of expiring. They were also not the human he'd ordered captured. He fixed an ominous stare at Soundwave's drones. "Were my orders not simple enough for you? Find the Witwicky boy and bring him to me."

"That one might know where Witwicky is," Laserbeak suggested, groveling before him.

"Perhaps." Megatron held the conscious male up higher, at optic level. "Where has Prime hidden Sam Witwicky?" he demanded harshly, certain that his brother would not have allowed his favorite pet anywhere near the battlesite.

"Go to hell," Will replied through gritted teeth, his vision blurring. His head was starting to ache, too.

"Foolish creature," Megatron sneered, contemplating ways of extracting information from the fleshling, but dismissed those options as nonviable -- their kind would not withstand two cycles of Decepticons' methods of interrogation. Witwicky will be dealt with soon enough. As for these two... Megatron strode over to a nearby metal bin and opened his hands above it.

Will yelled, arms flailing wildly when he suddenly felt himself falling, and landed face-first onto a pile of plastic bags_._ "_Oof!_"

"Return to Soundwave," Megatron ordered the drones, walking off. "Enough time has been wasted here."

"But--" Laserbeak started to say that Soundwave could probe the humans' minds for information, but recalled that he detested doing so, and kept quiet. "Yes, Lord Megatron."

--_the hell? _Will pushed himself up to his knees. The bags, and the stench, told him precisely what he and Simmons had been tossed into. It wasn't a coincidence, either, he realized. Megatron was demonstrating his opinion of the entire human race. _"_**_Bastard!_"** Furious, Will pounded his fists against the side of the dumpster.


	27. Chapter 27

A.N.: This turned into another long chapter. Hope I got all the typos.

Warning: Contains character death

* * *

Will slumped against the wall of the dumpster, shaky and panting. His shoulders felt like they were on fire from the jarring he just gave them. After a few seconds he managed to stand up, slipping a couple times on the wet trash bags. There was no sign of those drone things now. He saw Megatron disappear between two wrecked government buildings, heading in Ironhide's direction. _Have to get out of here!_

Groaning at the effort it took, Will jumped and grabbed onto the edge of the dumpster and desperately tried to pull himself up. He barely got halfway to the top before his strength gave out and he fell back onto the pile of bags. Between his bicep and the number those drones did on his shoulders, there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell of getting out of this garbage bin. Not without help. He climbed over more bags and turned Simmons over to check on his face: The bleeding had slowed considerably, which was a good sign. The left eye looked like a goner, though.

Will turned to a sitting position and dropped his head to his knees; he'd never felt so helpless...and about as insignificant as Megatron considered him to be. _"God __**damnit**_!" he yelled, soundly kicking the wall.

"Will Lennox?"

"_Optimus?!" _Elated, Will scrambled to his feet, and kicked the dumpster again. "In here!" he called out, and almost fell over on his rear a third time when Ultra Magnus suddenly appeared next to the dumpster. The tall Autobot looked surprised, and not particularly happy, to see him. "Uh...Hi."

"You are _not_ supposed to be _here_," Ultra Magnus sternly told Lennox, reaching in to retrieve both men from the waste container.

"Yeah..I'm starting to get that idea," Will mumbled, gripping one huge finger as tightly as he could, and was quick to jump off as soon as Ultra Magnus' hand was at ground level.

Coming forward to stand next to the City Commander, Optimus scanned the pair. "You're injured," he fretfully announced.

"We'll live. You've gotta catch up with Megatron! He went that way." Will turned and pointed. "Where Ironhide and Ratchet are fighting Soundwave!"

Optimus' expression turned dark. "Thank you, Will. Jazz, please escort Will and Agent Simmons out of this city," he instructed, his words clipped, then took off at a run in the direction Lennox provided. Ultra Magnus deposited Simmons on the ground next to Lennox before following, two steps behind.

"Jazz, could you help get Simmons in the car?" Will asked. It was all he could do to gather up the grenade launchers.

"No prob', Captain." Jazz carefully scooped the injured man up with two fingers. "Where're ya going?"

"Baltimore. It's got the best hospital in the country," Will told him. A call to Secretary Keller would ensure he and Simmons get treated right away.

"Hey, how'd you get here so fast, anyway?" Jazz asked as he deposited Simmons in the back seats.

"Skywarp showed up at the rest stop, offered to help us." Will concentrated on reloading his launcher, so he could get on the road as soon as possible.

Jazz stared down at Will. _Did he just say what I think he said? _"Where's Sam?!" He looked around, panic lancing through his spark. "And Mikaela?"

"I don't know where Skywarp took them, but I'm pretty sure they're ok," Will tried to reassure him. "Mikaela made him swear on Primus he'd bring us here to a safe place. You guys all take that real serious, right?"

"Yeah, we do." Jazz slowly nodded, fighting back the urge to tear out of there anyway to try to find Sam. Orders were orders, and Captain Will needed help. Jazz thought about letting Optimus know about Sam and Mikaela, but figured his Leader had enough to deal with right now. _If anything does happen to them, I'll make sure there's not enough left of Skywarp for Ratchet to pick through_!

"They should be fine, then." Relieved, Will opened the back door so Jazz could put Simmons in the car. "_Thank _you, Jazz."

"Welcome, Captain Will." He tapped the door closed for Lennox, then transformed into his Astin Martin mode. "You look pretty thrashed," Jazz noted, activating his holoform. "I'd better do the driving."

"That'd be great." Will thanked him again and, feeling of something warm -- blood -- trickling down his back, rummaged around in his duffel bag for the first aid kit. _Should've packed more, damnit, _he silently cursed, using the gauze for Simmons' face. That left just enough bandaging for himself. "Could you give me a quick patch-up, Jazz?" he asked, hoping the Autobot had some medical training. He'll have to get more of that blue stuff from Ratchet later, after the Autobots win this battle.

"Sure thing." Jazz took the bandages from him and, when Will peeled off his sweater, made a whistling sound. "Youch! Which of 'em used you as a pincushion?"

"...one of the overgrown chickens.." Will shuddered, feeling chilled.

"Slaggin' drones!" Jazz cursed. "Don't worry. Ironhide'll take 'em out."

Will braced his hands on the car hood, gritting his teeth, while the holo dressed his wounds. "He already got one of them."

"Good!" Hoping it was the one who killed Maggie, Jazz finished with the bandaging, making sure it was on tight. "Let's get goin'."

"Thanks." Will left his sweater on the ground, slid into the passenger seat. The car heater was turned on full blast and Jazz's holo took the driver's seat.

"Seatbelt," Jazz instructed him, a habit he'd picked up from Sam. Once Captain Lennox was strapped in, he put the Mercedes in reverse, making a U-turn, then sped off, followed by his Astin form.

Will was out like a light by the time Jazz reached the freeway.

* * *

"--you're sure about Prime?" After retrieving Ratchet's rotary saws for him, Ironhide had activated his own holoform to repair his friend's arm, declaring that he had paid attention when Ratchet gave lessons to the humans about repairing Autobots.

"Yes, yes," Ratchet answered, stifling irritation, and concentrated on welding the last few cracks in Bumblebee's spark casing. "He's not far behind Megatron."

"Oh, I'm _counting _on that." Megatron emerged from a clump of buildings, his optics fixing on Ratchet.

"_It's him!_" Warpath dashed forward to intercept the Decepticon Leader.

Ratchet pulled away from Ironhide, grabbing Bumblebee's left arm when his right one morphed into a cannon. //_Stop! You're still too weak!_//

//_I can't just sit here!_// Bumblebee objected, desperate to help them. His missile launchers sprang up out of his shoulders, shooting at Megatron the same time as Warpath.

The blasts sent Megatron stumbling back several yards. He recognized the smallest Autobot as the one who'd thwarted him back on Cybertron, robbing him of the Cube. Wielding his mace, he viciously lashed out at the Autobot before him.

//_Get behind me!_// Ironhide sent to Ratchet and Bumblebee, holoform vanishing and cannons flipping forward.

Warpath jumped back to avoid the spiked weapon. Megatron's self-repair system was incredibly fast, the holes their missiles punched into his armor closing within astro-seconds -- he was also standing sideways, protecting his chest. Warpath kept firing; there wasn't much else he _could _do.

//_Primus, I only needed two more cycles..._// Putting away his tools and deactivating the holoform, Ratchet looked from Warpath -- fighting valiantly against the much-stronger Megatron -- to Ironhide and Bumblebee. They'd already been killed, brutally, at the hands of Decepticons once. He could _not _allow that happen to them again! //_Ironhide, you have to take Bumblebee someplace safe!_//

//_No slaggin' way!_// Ironhide instantly refused. //_Megatron'll tear you and Warpath apart!_//

//_I know,_// he replied with calm acceptance.

//_We're not leaving you!!_// Bumblebee stared at Ratchet, optics flickering in distress when he shook his head. //_Do you __**want**__ to die?_//

//_Don't be absurd._// Uncomfortable with the scout's question, and the long, hard look Ironhide was giving him, Ratchet drew his saws.

Landing only a couple glancing blows, Megatron forgo his mace, bringing his hands together to form his fusion cannon and aimed low.

Warpath toppled over, crying out, his legs crumpling from the powerful blast.

//_Desist, Warpath!_// Ratchet ordered, then turned to give Ironhide a push toward Bumblebee. //_You two__** must**__ go. Now!_//

//_No..._// Warpath made a feeble attempt to get back up before raising his cannon.

//_Ratchet..._// Ironhide stayed put, his instincts screaming at him to stay and fight alongside his friend.

//_It will be all right, I promise._// Ratchet gave him another, stronger push when he continued to balk. //_Trust me!_//

"_**Out of my way**__!_" Megatron marched up to the stubborn Autobot and kicked him aside.

//_It'd better be!_// Ironhide retorted, voice rough and optics blinking rapidly as he picked up the still-protesting Bumblebee. //_And I'll be coming back here._//

//_I know you will_.// Ratchet looked down at his rotary saws, thinking, while Ironhide lumbered off, telling Bumblebee to quit squirming or he'd drop him. Megatron would be anticipating him to put up a fight, no matter how futile. Ratchet tucked the saws away, choosing not to give him that satisfaction.

_Such a noble sacrifice, _Megatron thought, not surprised that Ratchet had elected to remain behind and give the other two a chance to escape. The medic offered no resistance when he was grabbed about the legs and slammed into the ground. "I'm curious: Did you foresee your own death, Autobot?" Megatron taunted, clamping one hand down on the Autobot.

Looking up at the behemoth crouched over him, Ratchet forced a smile on his face despite the crushing pain. "The All Spark will _never_ be yours," he stated with absolute conviction. "You will _fail. Nothing _you do can prevent it. _That_ is what I see."

"You _**lie**_! _No one_can defeat me!" Angered by the prediction, he raised his hand and dragged his fingertips down Ratchet's chest, splitting open the armor to expose the spark casing. The Autobot's scream was cut off as he dropped offline. Deliberately, Megatron suspected.

"**Megatron!!**"

He turned his head and smiled at Prime. "_Brother_," Megatron greeted with false civility, discounting the other Autobot as irrelevant. "Your medic has provided me with some amusement while I waited for you."

//_Ratchet?!?_// Optimus glanced briefly down at him when there was no response. Was he already dead?? No, his spark was visible, barely, it's blue light fluctuating.

//_Prime...what should I do?_// asked Ultra Magnus, uncertain. The odds of saving their Chief Medical Officer were extremely poor.

//---_nothing. This is between me and him._//

Megatron's smile widened at Prime's stricken expression. "Give me the All Spark, and I will spare his life," he offered, hand poised above his captive.

Optimus averted his gaze from Ratchet to Megatron_. He knows I could never agree to an exchange_, he realized, recognizing the vindictive gleam in his brother's optics. _This is punishment for opposing him. _Silently asking for Ratchet's forgiveness, he stood ramrod straight. "No," Optimus answered, drawing his ion blaster and firing.

Megatron drove his fingers into Ratchet's chest, impaling the spark chamber, the same time the blast hit him. It threw him backwards into one of the humans' buildings. Shaking off debris, he sprang back to his feet, and met Prime's charge head-on.

Ultra Magnus paused beside to Ratchet's body, head bowed in deference at his passing. _Primus willing, we will have you back soon. _He glanced back at his leader and Megatron; the floor had caved in under their combined weight. The two combatants disappeared from view, falling into the basement below them.

_This is for Ratchet..for everyone! _Grappling with Megatron, Optimus ripped off a piece of the armor that protected his central processor.

"_**The Cube is**_ _**mine!**_" Megatron twisted about and pinned his brother down. "_**Tell me where it is!**_"

"_Never!" _

"I _will _have it!" Megatron dug his fingers into Prime's chest plates and pulled them apart to get at his brother's spark, intent on prying the Cube's location from him by force. "And kill _all_ of your pet humans_!"_

"_I __**hate **__you!" _Enraged, Optimus wrenched an arm free, unsheathed his sword and plunged it into Megatron's side.

Caught off guard by the sudden burst of strength, Megatron roared as the blade sliced through armor and circuitry, and pierced his own spark chamber. He flung himself away from Prime, scrambling to his feet with some difficulty.

Disgusted with himself for underestimating Prime's attachment to these fleshlings, Megatron climbed out of the confining room. Being forced to retreat from his weak fool of a brother was intolerable, but there was no other choice; he needed time to recuperate from the near-fatal wound. Broken metal rubbed painfully together as he transformed, much more slowly than normal.

Optimus pushed his chest plates back into place, locking them as he surged to his feet. Taking a running leap at Megatron, he seized him from behind. "It ends _now_!"

Megatron jerked out of his grasp and twisted about, the edge of one partially extended wing slicing Prime's arm. "_Fool! _You will tell me where the All Spark is, or watch me tear the Witwicky boy into _pieces_!" he spat, then grinned maliciously at his brother. "My Seekers have already found where you've hidden him." Prime responded to his latest threat by picking up a delivery van and throwing it at him.

Warpath nearly laughed aloud when the vehicle struck Megatron in the midsection, knocking him over for a third time.

//_Stay still_!// Ultra Magnus ordered when Warpath struggled to get up. //_You'll make your injuries worse_.//

//_Fine.._// Warpath grumbled, sinking back down, unhappy with being to be a mere spectator.

Megatron hurled the vehicle back at Prime, who cleaved it in two with his sword. "This isn't over,_" _he promised, finishing his transformation.

_You are __**not **__getting away that easily! _Optimus grabbed hold of Megatron again, one hand getting trapped in his frame as the thick armor plates shifted together.

_"_**Optimus**_!_" Ultra Magnus shouted as Megatron flew away, with Optimus dangling precariously.

Megatron went into a spin, trying to dislodge Prime. _I __**will **__kill you! _

Holding on tightly, Optimus waited it out, then punched his fist into the gaping hole left by his sword. His hand closed around a cable, and he yanked it out.

"_**Argh!**_" Megatron roared and nosedived into a bridge.

Optimus lost his grip when they both crashed through the span and into the icy river beneath. _Where are you? _He scanned the murky water for Megatron, shaking off an automobile tire that'd gotten stuck on his foot.

A large cloud of silt billowing around him told Optimus that Megatron had managed to escape before the water could short out his systems. _Primus, no! _Hands clenched in frustration, he turned and walked heavily toward the shore. Ultra Magnus met him as he emerged from the river. "Did you see which way he went?"

"Yes, but right now_ you _need to dry out," Ultra Magnus firmly declared. "You're lucky you're still online."

"I know." His spark slowing to a normal rhythm, Optimus looked up as he opened sections of armor, one at a time, to drain the water that had seeped inside through gouges inflicted by his brother's claws.

Ultra Magnus followed his gaze. "He'll be back. Megatron will never stop until he has the Cube."

"He'll stop once he's dead," rumbled Optimus, shaking out more drops of the fouled liquid. _And stays dead this time! _With one optic focused on the sky, he and Ultra Magnus started back to where they'd left Warpath, and Ratchet.

* * *

_What does he think he's doing?! _Thunderblast wondered, watching from a distance as a string of buildings burst into flames, accompanied by the sound of explosions. Shortround was supposed to kill the Autobot, not raze what was left of the humans' settlement to the ground!

Pacing back and forth a few times, she considered risking teleporting over there, but the result could be messy. She did _not _relish the possibility of Hook having to take her and another Cybertronian apart to separate them, let alone being put back together again by him.

The explosions abruptly stopped. _I **have **to know what is happening! _Thunderblast decided, and began to stealthily make her way towards the battle.

"If you're planning to congratulate your minion for his handiwork, don't bother."

"_**By the Pit!**_" Thunderblast exclaimed, jumping back several feet, shocked when _that _Autobot suddenly materialized a few feet away. He looked _very angry. "_You...you were invisible..."

"He's dead," Mirage snidely continued. Her dumbfounded expression didn't amuse him as it normally would have. "And, yes, I can make myself invisible. It's how I earned the designation Mirage."

"Mirage..." she repeated; it was a struggle to regain her scattered wits. "How apt. Poor Shortround. He must not have lasted long fighting you, then."

"Of course." He grabbed her arm before she could think of teleporting away.

Thunderblast hissed at the contact, feeling that touch all the way to her spark. He felt it, too, given the way he abruptly released her.

_I will not give in to this! _Mirage vowed, and grabbed her again, tightening his grip when she tried to push him away. "I'd suggest that next time you recruit someone more competent than Shortround, but there won't _be_ one." He pointed his cannon directly at her chest.

"Go ahead. Shoot," she challenged him, staring down that large barrel.

_Primus, why can't this be easy, like with all the other Decepticons? _Mirage asked himself, even though he already knew the answer: It was that accursed bond at work. After a long moment, he lowered his weapon.

"You can't kill me yourself, any more than I can kill you," Thunderblast said, gloating at his frustrated expression.

Mirage glared at the obnoxious Femme. "Perhaps I should copy your tactic, then. An acquaintance of mine did offer to dispose of you for me."

"_He's welcome to_ _try_!"

Growling a curse, he looked around, then dragged her with him to a large building a short distance away, demolishing the concrete wall and ceilings that were inconveniently in his way.

"_Let go of me_!" she demanded, delivering a hard kick to the back of his leg.

"Not until we come to an understanding." Mirage shoved her into one of the inner rooms.

Thunderblast backed away from him, wary. "--What sort of understanding?"

"You have two choices. The first one is to leave this world and never come back,_ and_never return to Cybertron."

"And if I _don't_?" she asked, seething with resentment.

"If you don't, I'll make certain that _all _of the Decepticons learn of our _situation_." Mirage smirked at her. "What are the chances you'll be cast out of their Order, if not killed outright?"

"You'd risk the Autobots finding out, too!" Thunderblast blurted out, more frightened by his threat than she cared to admit.

"So?" He shrugged nonchalantly. "I've no doubt they'd be much more tolerant than your so-called friends."

Thunderblast looked away, her optics darting around the room. There had to be a way out of this...but she just couldn't think of one!

"I recommend that you leave immediately: You wouldn't want any of your _friends_ to see us together, would you?" Taking her silence for acquiescence, Mirage turned to walk away.

_"I will __**not **__be dismissed!!_" Incensed by the snub, Thunderblast activated her cannon and shot him in the lower back.

"_**Slagging Femme!**_" He spun back around, firing back at her.

"_**Arrogant scrap heap!**_" she flung back at him, throwing herself out of the blast's path.

Mirage side-stepped the desk that was thrown at him. "That is _enough!_"

"_I'll _decide when it's enough!" A pair of chairs followed the desk.

Knocking them aside, he tackled the Femme when she brought her cannon up again. "You are the most _perverse_ little glitch...."

"_How dare you!" _She heaved upward, trying to get him off of her, but Mirage weighed quite a bit more than she did. That was a mistake. Her armor scraped against his; the rush of desire that induced jolted her processors. She moved again, and gasped sharply.

"_Stop _that." He scowled at Thunderblast, trying to ignore the increased pulsing of his spark. Which was not easy to do, considering he was lying on top of her.

"No!" Thunderblast bucked up again, aroused by these powerful sensations and now compelled to explore them further. They were different from what she was accustomed to. Much more--_stimulating._

Mirage grunted when their chests clashed together, and his spark flared in response. This 'discussion' was not going the way he'd planned it to. He had to put some space between himself and this deadly Femme.

"I said _stop!_" He hauled Thunderblast to her feet, shoving her away from him. "You _will _leave Earth!" Mirage ordered, looking her over scathingly.

"_I will__** not**_!" Angered by the rejection -- and not caring how completely illogical_ that _was -- Thunderblast teleported.

_Perfect..just perfect! _Mirage fumed, aggravated when the tempestuous Femme vanished. _Maybe I should have accepted Sunstreaker's help with her! _He was about to leave the wrecked building when Thunderblast returned, carrying a motorcycle.

It snapped into three parts when she hit Mirage across the back with it. The blow staggered him. "_That_ is for_ insulting me_!"

"Are you insane?!" he demanded, wincing at a stinging cracks in his armor.

"_I am tired of being sneered at!_" She threw the largest piece of the motorcycle at his head. "_And I will __**not **__bond with some lowly soldier_."

"Lowly soldier?!" Ducking, Mirage took exception to that slur. "I'll have you know that I lived in a Tower in Crystal City, before it was destroyed!"

"--You did?" Thunderblast paused, then shook off the absurd impulse to apologize for that. Primus, just being near Mirage was affecting her. Reminding herself that he was an Autobot, she tossed the other sections of the motorcycle at Mirage. They bounced off his shoulder and arm.

"_**Enough!**_" he shouted, grabbing her again and slamming her against a wall.

Blinking to clear her optics of the cement dust that rained down, Thunderblast struggled to get free, inadvertantly rubbing against him.

Mirage couldn't quite suppress the shudder that rattled his frame as a disturbingly pleasant current swept through him. "You will **not **tempt me, Femme," he muttered, more to himself than to her.

_So you're not as immune as you pretend. _Smiling slyly, Thunderblast gripped one of the doors jutting out from his back when he started to pull away. She found a seam with her other hand and dug her fingertips in. If she could distract Mirage--- Two astro-seconds was all she needed to escape, and hopefully come up with an alternate strategy in ridding herself of him.

"I told you to stop!" He wrapped a hand around her neck.

Undaunted by the threat, she worked her fingers under his armor. "_Make _me," Thunderblast challenged, tugging on a clump of wires to provoke him even more.

Mirage tensed up, a faint moan escaping him at the searing heat coursing throughout his circuitry. "...slagging Femme..." he repeated, with considerably less rancor.

Thunderblast stared up at Mirage, mesmerized by his reaction. _Ah... I seem to have found an erogenous spot. How marvelous! _She gave in to the urge to tug again, harder. His grip on her neck tightened, and he pushed her up against the wall. "You want me gone, remember?" she pointed out, growing excited again despite herself, fingers entwining those wires.

"Eventually," Mirage haughtily replied, determined to regain the advantage. Removing his hand from her neck, he moved it downward, curling his fingers around a rectangular plate and pushing it aside.

That was _not _the response Thunderblast had hoped for, but all rational thought fled when Mirage reached inside, stretching wiring and cables alike. _"Primus!"_ she cried out, driven wild by his expertise, and clawed at his chest greedily.

The spark-deep instinct he'd also been fighting took over. Mirage withdrew his hand and, none too gently, captured hers. _"No,_" he growled, raising her arms above her head when she fought his iron grip. He's never let anyone take such liberties, and never will.

She went still then, her spark flaring in it's casing as he opened first his chest plates, then her own. Yanking Thunderblast up against him, Mirage pressed his chest against hers and their sparks merged together.

* * *

His energy level dropping dangerously low, Soundwave sought cover among a patch of tall trees. Beyond them were rows of small stone tablets. It was a cemetery, a place where the humans buried their dead -- and it gave him an uncomfortable feeling. Unable to open a link now, he turned to Ravage. "Ravage, go find Hook."

"I can repair, too!" protested Ravage, wanting to be of more use to him than just acting as messenger.

Soundwave shook his head. "Hook is a fully trained medic, and you've also been injured."

"_I can help!" _Ravage stomped the ground with all four legs.

"Ravage! What is the matter with you?!" Soundwave frowned disapprovingly at the immature tantrum he was throwing.

"...nothing...." He crouched low to the ground, unhappy. "Will bring Hook here."

"Go with him, in case he encounters more Autobots along the way," Soundwave told Frenzy after Ravage loped off. Ratbat and Laserbeak were curled up in a ball together, mourning Buzzsaw.

"Yes, yes." Frenzy scurried off to catch up with Ravage. "Your processors rusting?"

Ravage ignored that, concentrating on tracking the medic. "Hook went this way."

"We must hurry!" Frenzy chattered as they both broke into a run. After almost a mile he and Ravage came upon three city blocks of buildings on fire. Frenzy laughed at the destruction. "Someone was busy!"

"Mrph," Ravage spluttered; the thick smoke was clogging his sensors. Hook had to be close by... He used the private link he'd established with the medic. //_Hook?_//

//_Who is this_?// was Hook's surly reply.

//_Ravage. --you remember me_?// he tentatively asked, wondering what put Hook in such a bad mood.

//_I remember,_// Hook said, in a slightly milder tone. //_What do you want?_//

//_Soundwave needs repairs._//

//_Soundwave will have to wait until I'm finished with my team,_// Hook told him.

Put off by the brusque answer, he pinpointed the source of Hook's signal and dashed off. Frenzy followed him, griping about the rubble strewn all over the ground.

_**That's**__ why Hook is angry! _Ravage realized when he found Hook. Two of the Constructicons were lying next to each other, obviously dead. Hook was attending to his injured leader, Scrapper. The other surviving member of their group sat, looking forlorn, next to yet another casualty. The dead one was Shortround, Ravage recalled his designation.

Sixshot was also there, waiting to be repaired.

Ravage took a step toward him, worried about his injuries, then caught himself and trotted over to Hook. The medic gave him a cursory inspection before going back to work on Scrapper.

"You could come over here and be useful, Scavenger," Scrapper grouched, annoyed with him for grieving an outsider's demise.

_--rust pile, _Scavenger privately thought, shuffling his feet as he walked over to them.

"I could help," Ravage volunteeed, glancing sympathetically at Scavenger.

"No, thank you. I don't want anything turned upside down," Scrapper snidely remarked.

"That would be an improvement," Sixshot stated. Ignoring the glower he received from Scrapper, he turned to Ravage with a displeased expression. "I see your _master_ does not take proper care of you."

"We were outnumbered," Ravage asserted, automatically defending Soundwave. "Can take care of myself anyway!"

"Apparently he doesn't think so. Why else would he assign you a keeper?" Sixshot pointedly glanced past Ravage to Frenzy.

"Don't need a keeper!"

//_He's trying to trick you!_// Frenzy hissed to Ravage, and glared at Soundwave's nemesis. //_Don't listen to him!_//

//_Am not stupid!_// Ravage bared his teeth, tail swishing angrily.

Frenzy refused to budge. //_Didn't say you were._//

//_You thought it!_// Ravage accused, and turned his back on Frenzy. //_Go away!_//

Observing them during their contentious exchange, Sixshot opened a connection to Frenzy and waited patiently for him to accept it.

//_What?!_// Frenzy answered after a long delay.

//_Ravage obviously resents being watched like a witless Sparkling, and don't you have something better to do, anyway?_// he asked, persuasively. //_Barricade flew over us just two cycles ago, heading Eastward._//

//_He is not Barricade!!_// Frenzy's body shook with rage for a moment before he calmed himself. "Am going back to Soundwave," he announced out loud, giving Ravage a smack on the backside for being rudely disagreeable before flouncing off.

Ravage flattened his ears, but otherwise pretended not to notice.

_I should kill that little fragger myself_, Sixshot thought, irritated by Frenzy's attitude.

Hook finished replacing wiring in Scrapper's arm and, with a sullen Scavenger's help, welded two armor plates together. "Your turn," he said, irritated, and went over to Sixshot.

Sixshot glanced calculatingly at Ravage. "No, repair Ravage next."

_Hrm? _Ravage's ears canted forward in surprise.

"The drone?" Hook snorted. "His mishap is hardly a high priority."

"That may be, but you will tend to him now," Sixshot replied with a menacing glint in his optics.

"Oh, very well," Hook gave in, rather than waste valuable time arguing with the overbearing Decepticon warrior.

"--thank you," Ravage timidly said, grateful, and surprised, by the favor.

"You are welcome." Sixshot preoccupied himself with sharpening his talons while awaiting his turn, and smiled inwardly at Ravage's confused expression.

* * *

"Hide!" Sam whispered the warning, and he and Mikaela ducked inside the corner market store.

Holding her breath, Mikaela waited half a minute to make sure they hadn't been spotted before asking, "Who's out there?"

"One of those new Cons," Sam told her. "I think it used to be a bus."

"Terrific," she muttered, pressing her knuckles against her temples.

"Headache?"

"Yeah."

Sam nodded, then wished he hadn't. "Me, too. Guess man-made cars aren't much protection from Skywarp's jumping around. Hang on." He went scrounging for painkillers.

"God.. Did it hurt this much after that asshole kidnapped you?" Mikaela asked, her eyes watering.

"Like someone's drilling a hole in your head? Yeah, pretty much." Sam came back to the front of the store, pill and water bottles in hand. "These'll have to do, 'til we find Ratchet and something stronger from him."

"'kay, thanks." She downed two pills with some water.

Sam took a couple, too, and almost choked on his water when they heard the sound of jet engines outside. Seekers. At least two of them. They flew so low, skimming over the market they were in, that the windows shattered. "Shit!" he exclaimed as they both crouched down, covering their heads with their arms.

"We can't stay here, Sam," Mikaela said when the noise stopped.

"Have to find Ratchet," Sam muttered, his vision blurring a little. _Shit, why can't they make pills that work in ten seconds? _He poked his head out the door, looking up and down the street. There was no sign of that Bus Con now.

Holding the cold bottle to her forehead, Mikaela followed him. "All clear?"

"For now. Let's go." Sam reached back to grip her hand before stealthily making his way down the street, Will Lennox style. They'd gone almost two blocks when they heard the screeching of tires, coming from behind them. "Whoa!"

Mikaela and Sam plastered themselves against the wall of a jewelry store as two lamborghinis roared by.

Sideswipe braked hard in the middle of an intersection. //_--tell me I did not just see what I think I saw,_// he sent to his twin, who'd stopped as well.

//_You mean Jazz and Bumblebee's humans, out taking a walk? No. I didn't see them either._//

//_It's not funny, you rusted glitch!_// he sharply replied. //_They'll get themselves killed, wandering around here!_//

//_How is that our problem?_// Sunstreaker asked, just to be difficult, but relented when Sideswipe growled at him. //_Fine, we'll make them leave, but can we take care of the Seekers over there first?_//

//_Bring 'em on!_// Sideswipe transformed, followed by Sunstreaker. They both fired at the lead Seeker to get his attention.

"_Holy shit!_" Sam yelped, and hastily lowered his voice. "Those two are gonna take on _six_ flying 'Cons!"

"No way!_" _Mikaela peeked around him and gasped. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe really were making a stand against the jets swooping down at them. "But---They're too _small_!"

"Looks like nobody's told _them_ that!"

"_Sam!"_ Mikaela grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into a pawn shop. It gave them some cover, and they could still see what was going on outside.

A tingly thrill running down his spine, Sam watched the twins deftly evade the Seekers' missiles. Not even Jazz moves that fast!

//_Quick,_ _give me a boost,_// Sunstreaker sent. Barricade's squad had turned to make another pass at them.

//_Not again!_// groaned Sideswipe, readying himself when his twin sprinted towards him.

_Whoa_! Sam's heart skipped a beat when Sideswipe suddenly dropped to a crouch, grabbed Sunstreaker by a leg, and threw him into the air just as he jumped. "What the hell?!"

Wide-eyed at the stunt, Sam and Mikaela rushed back outside and looked up. The lead jet wasn't expecting an Autobot to come flying at him, and didn't react in time to dodge a collision. Tucking himself into a ball, Sunstreaker smashed into Barricade's underside, knocking him off course and into one of the other Seekers.

"OhmyGod!" Mikaela gasped, covering her mouth when the two Seekers spun out of control for a few seconds. Sunstreaker unfolded his body and, grabbing onto the edge of a wing, swung himself around and landed astride the jet. Sideswipe was watching, too, hands planted on hips -- he didn't look very happy.

Sunstreaker pointed his cannon at the cockpit and fired, then launched himself into a double somersault, ending up on another jet that had come up from behind to try to shoot him off it's teammate. The first one flew off, leaving a trail of black smoke in it's wake. It made it about half a mile before going down. She sure the hell never imagined any of the Autobots as being acrobatic like that. They were robots, after all.

"_**Yeah!**_" Sam and Mikaela both cheered when the golden Autobot performed the same trick on yet another jet that'd gotten close enough. So much for too small!

Sideswipe moved closer to Banes and Witwicky, rolling his optics in amused tolerance at their awestruck expressions. //_Are_ _you done showing off for the humans?_// he asked his twin brother.

//_I might be_.//

Sam looked up at Sideswipe. "Man, he's _amazing!_"

"Amazingly conceited, you mean," he grumbled, testy at being left out of this fight.

//_Would you get back down here now?!_//

//_There's no need to shout_,// Sunstreaker primly sniped back, shooting at a fourth Seeker as he casually stepped off the one he was on.

_"No! He fell_!" Sam yelled.

"Don't worry. He's done this before," Sideswipe assured the boy. "We both have."

"...that was so cool..." murmured Mikaela. Sunstreaker extended the door parts of his alt form and glided safely down to the street; the rest of the jets headed off to where their leader crashed instead of attacking him.

"Please _don't_ tell him that. His processor might explode if it swells any more!"

"Uh..ok, sure," Sam agreed with a weak laugh, his headache returning with a vengeance. "There any chance you know where Ratchet is?"

"He's probably busy repairing that sour glitch, Huffer," answered Sunstreaker, rejoining the small group. He looked down at the humans. "Not that I'm particularly interested, but what do you think you're doing here?"

"What does it look like?" Mikaela defiantly showed them her chainsaw.

Sideswipe gave the contraption a _very_ unimpressed glance. "--what were you planning to do with that?"

"Hack off some Decepticon feet....hopefully," Sam explained, fidgeting when the twins just stared. "Look, we just wanna help!"

"Hm." Sunstreaker made a clicking sound as he pondered the two humans.

//_You have __**got**__ to be joking!_//

//_Why? It's obviously what they want, so we have an obligation to accept their aid, don't we?_//

//_Jazz and Bumblebee might not agree with you,_// Sideswipe pointed out. //_This city's full of Decepticons. Humans aren't safe here._//

//_You're forgetting one thing: They're with us now._//

//_Your ego is truly astonishing,_// Sideswipe dryly remarked.

//_Thank you,_// Sunstreaker replied archly, then turned back to Witwicky and Banes and announced, "I've discussed this with my brother, and decided to allow you to stay."

Sam bit his tongue at the condescending tone. Sideswipe wasn't kidding about his bro's ego! "Ok..."

"Then you'll point us in the right direction?" asked Mikaela.

"We can do better than that." Sunstreaker changed back into his car mode, the passenger door popping open. "We'll take you to one of the Decepticons personally."

//_We are so going to get in trouble for this,_// bemoaned Sideswipe, transforming as well.

//_Only if you tell the others._// "Get in, Witicky. And don't scratch me with that thing."

"_Witwicky_,_" _Sam corrected, but just knew that it probably wouldn't do any good with this guy. The chainsaw was carefully put on the floor.

Sideswipe sighed loudly and opened his own door. "Mikaela Banes?"

"Thanks." She patted his hood and got in. "We really appreciate this."

"Then I'll assume you're not going to mention it to anyone." Sunstreaker closed the door himself when Sam started to reach for it, engine revving.

"Whoops. Sorry!" Sam apologized to the finicky Autobot and clasped his hands together. "We won't say a word. Promise."

//_What about the Seekers?_// asked Sideswipe.

//_We'll take care of them after we indulge these two._// Spinning around in a tight half-circle, Sunstreaker drove through a fence -- eliciting a strangled gasp from the Witwicky boy -- and went in search of more Decepticons.

* * *

"--Do you think I should leave?" Thundercracker asked, growing more and more nervous the closer Wheeljack came to finishing the reconstruction.

Wheeljack spared a brief glance at him while setting the second arm into place. "He won't be pleased to see either of us, but he'll more likely to listen to you than me, at first."

"I supppose.." He opened a link to Skywarp. //_The Autobot's about to resurrect Starscream._//

//_It took him long enough,_// Skywarp complained. //_I was about to look for someone else to play with._//

//_Play with?_// Thundercracker frowned at his brother's wording. //_What do you mean? Where are you?_//

//_I'm...somewhere_.//

//_Skywarp!_//

//_Washington!_//

//_**What?!**_//

//_I went to Indiana first, to find the Autobots' humans. They made me to take them to Washington, D.C.,_// Skywarp hurriedly explained. //_They were all fine when I left them there_.//

"What is going on?" Wheeljack inquired, curious when the Seeker suddenly clapped a hand to his head.

Thundercracker looked down at the ground as he told the scientist what Skywarp had done.

Wheeljack scowled. "Is everything a joke to your brother?"

"Apparently." Thundercracker flinched, thinking of how furious Prime will be when he finds out. //_Would you please try not to cause any more trouble. Skywarp??_//

//_It's not my fault._ _They wanted to go!_// he protested.

//_Skywarp!_// Thundercracker snapped again.

//_All right! Calm down! I won't go near them again!_//

//_Good!_// "Skywarp promised to stay away from them."

"He'd better." Still scowling, Wheeljack adjusted the placement of Starscream's wings. Just what had Skywarp been thinking? For that matter, what are the humans thinking? He was especially perturbed with Mikaela Banes for endangering herself; he'd put a lot of work into those implants, after all.

"Is he ready?" he asked the Autobot, desperate for a change in subject, gesturing to Starscream's body.

"Yes." Wheeljack aimed one of his lasers at where Starscream's motor functions were located, then removed the All Spark shard from beneath his armor and set it on the Decepticon's chest. Both he and Thundercracker shuttered their optics at the bright flash of blue light, and Starscream came online with a howling shriek.

Ready for it, Wheeljack snatched the Cube fragment back and activated the laser, slicing through the armor. Only Starscream's head was left mobile when he was done. "You're safe now,_" _he told the panic-stricken young Seeker. "No one here will harm you."

Fighting back the nightmarish memory of being ripped apart, Starscream looked around wildly. It was the same copse of trees, with large grey rocks scattered among them. This time, though, there were no Decepticons surrounding him. No Shockwave. No Soundwave, or Mixmaster. He was alone, save for Thundercracker and---_it can't be! _"I'm in the Pit."

"No, you're not," Thundercracker spoke up when Wheeljack gave him a prodding look. "You're alive -- again -- and like he said, we won't harm you."

Starscream's optics lit up with rage and hatred. "They killed me. _You_ killed me!"

"I had nothing to do with it!" Thundercracker proclaimed. "Besides, we assumed you'd lied when you told us that the All Spark was lost."

_"I did __**not**_ _lie!_"

"And yet they were all so eager to believe you had," Wheeljack smoothly interjected.

"Hardly surprising, given your well-known penchant for deceit."

"Why, you-" Starscream stopped short, making a huge effort to calm himself, and voiced the myriad of questions racing through his processor. "_How_ did you bring me back? _Why_? Where did that Cube come from? What in the_ Pit_ are you doing with this _Autobot_, Thundercracker? _Where_ is _Shockwave_? _**I'll kill him**__! I'll_--_"_

Shifting uneasily, Thundercracker interrupted the rant. "Shockwave is Megatron's new Second-in-Command."

Starscream froze in stunned disbelief. "No...."

"Yes," Wheeljack confirmed, watching him keenly. "Megatron was revived with the All Spark, and has taken back Leadership of the Decepticons."

_This can't be happening. _His spark pulse slowing at the devastating news, Starscream turned his head to one side. With the power of the All Spark, Megatron was invincible. "You should have let me stay dead."

"_What_?" Thundercracker exclaimed, taken aback by his defeated tone. "I've never seen you give up. Not even when Megatron tore out your--"

"_**LEAVE ME ALONE!**_" His shout reverberated through the trees. Why were they tormenting him? He ran a quick scan on himself. The system that controlled his motor functions had been damaged, leaving him at their mercy. If they thought to make him beg, they were sadly mistaken!

"That is not a feasible option," Wheeljack bluntly told Starscream. "As you've already deduced, what Soundwave discovered is not the original All Spark." That effectively put an end to his bout of self-pity.

Momentarily speechless, Starscream stared at the two standing over him. "H_--how?!"_

"I..don't know." Thundercracker looked to Wheeljack for an explanation.

"The humans, in an extremely risky and dangerous experiment, succeeded in replicating the All Spark. I don't know the specific details of their procedures: That occurred nearly one vorn ago, and all of the humans who participated are now dead." Wheeljack held up the shard for him to see. "As for how you were brought back to life, I used this. It is all that's left of the original one."

Starscream regarded the tiny sliver with dubious speculation. "Can it-"

"No," Wheeljack replied, anticipating the question. "Bringing you back drained it of what little energy it contained."

"Then Megatron's won." The sinking, hopeless feeling returned, and he let his head drop to the ground.

"Tell him," Wheeljack prodded Thundercracker; it was appropriate that he be the one to tell Starscream of his and Skywarp's feat.

"Megatron doesn't have the new All Spark." Thundercracker braced himself for the explosive reaction he was bound to get. "Skywarp took it from him, and I returned it to Optimus Prime."

Starscream was struck mute again. _Great Primus...has the entire universe been turned inside out?_ he wondered, completely bewildered the revelation_. "_You did _**what**_?!!"

"I gave the Cube to Optimus. It was the right thing to do," he insisted, crossing his arms. There was no way he was going to apololgize for that!

"Is that such a foreign concept to you now?" Wheeljack asked in a withering tone, before Starscream could verbally tear into Thundercracker. "Do you honestly think humans deserves extinction simply for defending themselves?"

"I never wanted to come back to this planet," muttered Starscream, looking away again.

Thundercracker frowned at him, puzzled by his admission. "Then why did you bring us here?"

"It was that wretched Femme!" he claimed, latching onto Thunderblast as a convenient excuse. "She convinced me that no Decepticon would follow me, unless it was to avenge Megatron." Starscream hesitated before impulsively asking, "Where is she?"

"I don't know." Thundercracker shrugged, indifferent. "Is it true you chose Thunderblast as your Second?"

"She told you?" Starscream glowered. She would brag to everyone, when it should have been his announcement to make!

"No, she didn't, actually," corrected Thundercracker. "Megatron merged sparks with her, to find out what the two of you were up to."

_"Megatron!" _He fought to overcome his paralysis, outraged by the abuse Thunderblast endured.

"Were you aware of Megatron's plans for the All Spark?" Wheeljack nudged the furious Seeker in the side with a foot to get his attention. "Cybertron is no longer a priority for him."

"_What _are you _talking _about?" demanded Starscream.

"Did you think Thundercracker and Skywarp turned against him on a whim?" Wheeljack looked to Thundercracker to explain their motive.

"Megatron intends to use the All Spark to transform the humans' machines into a huge army, particularly their aircraft -- he did create several before we took the All Spark from him."

"And it won't be just Earth. Megatron won't be satisfied until he's done the same to every technologically advanced world, and exterminated their inhabitants in the process," Wheeljack said solemnly.

Thundercracker frowned darkly at his former Leader's brutal ruthlessness. "He joined sparks with the new Decepticons, to instantly turn them into warriors."

"Which was undoubtedly quite painful, and damaging to them," Wheeljack interjected. "Thundercracker told us that, except for Hook and Skywarp, Megatron showed _no _interest in any other Decepticon who's died. Including one of your fellow Seekers, Dirge." As anticipated, that bit of information stoked his anger further.

"What happened to Ramjet and Skywarp?" Starscream asked about the two absent Seekers.

"Skywarp will be here soon. Ramjet....Megatron ripped off both of his wings, as punishment for what we'd done," Thundercracker added, optics fading with sadness. "Then he sent Ramjet to spy on us."

Wheeljack spoke up again. "I realize that this is alot to assimilate, but time is running short."

_"Why _did you bring me back?" Starscream repeated his earlier question. "What do you _want_?"

_Now for the negotiating_. He choose his words carefully. "As we've already told you, Megatron has abandoned our homeworld. Cybertron will need a new Lord High Protector."

For a moment he was sure he'd misheard Wheeljack. "--Lord High Protector?"

"Yes. One that would_ not _put his own needs before Cybertron's."

Confused, his gaze darted from Wheeljack to Thundercracker, and back again. "But...you said Optimus Prime has the All Spark now," Starscream said, what Wheeljack was suggesting momentarily escaping him.

"Unlike some we both know, Optimus is not consumed with selfish ambition," Wheeljack countered, a tad impatient but careful not to let it show. "He would not wish to be the sole ruler of Cybertron."

_He's actually serious about this! _Starscream realized as he stared at the scientist, shocked anew by the bewildering proposal, before daring to ask, "What of this second All Spark?" The reproachful look Wheeljack gave him made him feel like a recalcitrant Youngling.

"Considering it was the Decepticons' transgressions that began this war, the All Spark will remain under our supervision," Wheeljack replied harshly. "However, Optimus is not vindictive, despite all that he's suffered. I'm certain that he will listen to any reasonable requests made to him."

Recovering from his own shock, Thundercracker opened a link to Wheeljack while Starscream thought long and hard about the Autobot's offer. //_You're suggesting that **he** be our High Protector?!_//

//_Cybertron needs someone strong, and it would be prudent to choose a candidate from among the surviving Decepticons,_// Wheeljack explained. //_Would you rather it be Shockwave?_//

//_No..._// Thundercracker had to admit after mulling it over. //_Shockwave is fanatically loyal to Megatron._//

//_Then you are willing to give Starscream a chance?_//

//_---if Prime agrees to this, yes. But if he betrays us..._//

//_If that were to happen, he'll be exiled and a new replacement will be chosen._// Wheeljack nodded to him and turned back to Starscream. "Can you accept these terms, or are you incapable of compromising, like that walking malfunction you served?"

"I am **not **like Megatron!_" _Starscream snarled back, his optics blazing at the offensive comparison.

Wheeljack pressed harder. "Will you join us in defeating him, and devote yourself to protecting and defending Cybertron alongside Prime?"

Conflicted, Starscream looked up at the cloudy grey sky. If he refused... The alternatives sent cold tendrils of fear through his spark: Death by either the Decepticons, per Megatron's orders, or the Autobots themselves -- and with no possibility of being brought back to life a second time -- or be doomed to spend an eternity wandering the galaxies alone. And here was Wheeljack, offering him a lifeline. A chance to redeem himself and finally see Cybertron restored to it's former glory.

"Do we have an agreement?" Wheeljack prodded him after a full cycle had passed.

"Yes. By Primus, **_yes_!"**


	28. Chapter 28

A.N. Sorry for the delay. This chapter was stubborn at times. I hope I got all the typos & mistakes. Warning: Contains character deaths.

* * *

"What do I need to do?"

"Optimus Prime has challenged Megatron, in order to end this war once and for all," Wheeljack informed Starscream, busying himself with repairing motor functions. Several wires needed replacing. "But since the accusation made against you was false, you are still the rightful Leader of the Decepticons. Megatron will, of course, take exception to that."

"He is very powerful," Starscream replied, self-doubt creeping into his processor.

"Yes, but so are you. And so is Optimus." Wheeljack consulted his internal timing mechanism. Megatron must be in Washington by now. "They're fighting even as we speak. Therefore Megatron will be considerably less than one hundred percent operational when you reclaim the Leadership."

"Optimus could be badly injured, too," Thundercracker worriedly pointed out. "Please hurry!"

Starscream cast a suspicious look up at him. "Exactly _what _has been going on between you and Prime?"

"What?" Taken aback, Thundercracker stared at him, uncomprehending. "I...admire him."

"Is that so?"

He shifted, uneasy, when those half-shuttered optics studied him. "Of course," Thundercracker replied snappishly. What was Starscream implying?

Wheeljack connected the last of the wiring. "There. You should be able to move now." He watched in guarded anticipation as Starscream flexed his arms and legs, testing them, then sprang to his feet.

//_Skywarp! Come here. __**Now**__!_// Starscream commanded his Seeker. Skywarp immediately answered the summons, and an astro-second later appeared in the sky above. The moment he joined them on the ground, Starscream seized him by the neck.

"Don't hurt him!" Thundercracker protested, and started forward when he was ignored.

//_Wait,_// Wheeljack advised Thundercracker, not interfering himself.

"_I didn't do anything_!" squealed Skywarp, trying to pry that hand off, and prudently stopped resisting when Starscream's grip tightened threateningly. "_All right_! I'm sorry I helped the others rip you apart!"

Starscream gave him a violent shake for bringing that up. "Do you swear to obey me, and no one else?"

Skywarp nodded, as much as he could with a hand around his neck. "Yes, I swear!"

Pleased with his oath, Starscream smiled and released Skywarp. "Do you also swear?" he demanded of Thundercracker.

Thundercracker shot a quick glance at Wheeljack, who watched impassively, before replying. "So long as you're _honest,_ I do."

Irritated by the unyielding condition set on his allegiance, but sullenly aware that Thundercracker was somewhat justified, Starscream nodded curtly.

"What are your orders, Lord Starscream?" Skywarp asked in a meek voice. _By the Pit, I hope you know what you're doing, Thundercracker._

"Bring Ramjet to me."

"Megatron is in the Washington, D.C. city. We should go there at once," urged Wheeljack as Skywarp left on his errand.

"When I'm ready," Starscream said, plotting just how he was going to greet his old leader. "Thank you, Wheeljack."

_Those are two words he hasn't said in a very long time, I wager. _Wheeljack tilted his head quizzically. Starscream using his designation was unexpected. "How much do you remember?"

"---Enough to have convinced myself, and Megatron, that you'd been killed." Starscream was silent for a moment, self-loathing washing over him.

"Ah." _You always were exceptionally inventive, and proud of it,_mused Wheeljack, not all that surprised that Starscream had been able to manipulate the purge. "It did help that there was much confusion during the larger battles. Unfortunately, _he_ likely knows now you were apparently mistaken."

"If I had listened to you---"

"Megatron was quite persuasive then," Wheeljack smoothly interrupted, "And he had offered the Seekers the opportunity to explore other, more distant, galaxies. Though not for the purpose you were led to believe. The past cannot be changed; there's no point in dwelling over it."

"And just _what_has been going on between you and Wheeljack?" Thundercracker asked, flinging Starscream's question back at him.

Starscream bristled at the impertinence. "That is not your concern!"

"Well, then, Optimus and I are no concern of _yours_." Thundercracker belligerently folded his arms over his chest, and avoided looking at Wheeljack. The Autobot's speculative gaze made him uncomfortable for some reason.

Skywarp returned at that moment, preventing a full-blown argument from erupting. "Here," he said, dropping Ramjet at Starscream's feet.

"You'll want him conscious and mobile?" presumed Wheeljack, already pulling out his tools and more spare wiring -- and stifling any further complaints about the delay. It was important that Starscream reastablish dominance over his Seekers, and boost his self-confidence.

"Yes." Starscream stepped aside for him to bring Ramjet back online.

The first thing Ramjet saw when he came back online was that Autobot. "_Slagger_!" he cursed at Wheeljack, and started to bring his cannon up to fire when he spotted Thundercracker standing a few feet behind the Autobot, "He attacked me, Thundercracker! I _told _you he couldn't be trusted!"

"The way that _you_can be trusted?" remarked Starscream, drawing Ramjet's attention.

His mouth dropped wide open. "You...you're _alive!"_

"Yes, I _am_." Starscream reached down and, in a much tighter grip than he used on Skywarp, grabbed Ramjet by the neck and hauled him upright. "Are you reporting it to Megatron, like a dufitul little spy?"

"N-_no!_" Ramjet denied, his vocals crackling with shock. "How did you--"

"The Autobot revived me."

"But...Soundwave--"

"I used a surviving fragment of the original All Spark. Save for one small piece, it was destroyed, exactly as Starscream had told you," Wheeljack explained in a matter-of-fact tone. "What Soundwave found was a duplicate Cube, created by human scientists and hidden inside a large cave system."

"He's telling the truth," Thundercracker said in a rush when Ramjet looked appealingly at him. There wasn't time for lengthy explanations. "Will you join us, or are you_ still_loyal to Megatron?"

_That's why they broke from the Decepticons! They suspected Soundwave was lying! _Ramjet concluded, his processor whirring at a dizzying rate. _And Megatron...he knows the Cube was destroyed, and said nothing! _"I'm sorry I doubted you," he told Thundercracker and Skywarp, then recalled his grievance with them. "But you should have told me!"

"_Choose!_" Starscream locked optics with him. "Are you loyal to me, or _Him?"_

"But--I'm--" Ramjet stammered, and saw Skywarp extend both wings, a tacit reminder of what had been done to him. "_To the Pit with Megatron!" _

Starscream smiled and turned away, confident of Ramjet's sincerity: he'd never been very good at dissembling during confrontations, and one thing they had in common now was a powerful need for revenge.

"_Now _may we go to Washington, D.C.?" Wheeljack asked Starscream, the barest hint of an edge to his voice.

"As soon as Skywarp completes one more task."

"You want me to bring your Second to you, Lord Starscream?" Skywarp guessed.

"No," Starscream decided; he didn't trust the opportunistic Femme not to warn Megatron that he was among the living once more. "I want you to find Shockwave."

* * *

_The Autobots will pay for this! _Hook swore, glancing over at the bodies of Long Haul and Mixmaster before starting repairs on the drone. _And why have we heard nothing from Lord Megatron? Surely he's killed that fool, Prime, by now._

Ravage whimpered, flinching as a laser was used to slice apart the compressed plates.

"Be still!"

"You left his pain receptors activated," Sixshot criticized, glaring at the abrasive medic.

"I _could_ shut them down, but this won't take long." Hook swiftly reshaped the neck armor, then welded the pieces back together. "Done."

Ravage rotated his neck slowly, then faster. "Thank you, Hook."

Hook nodded magnanimously and started toward his final patient when the roar of a jet engine disrupted his concentration. _Those pesky Seekers, _he grouched, looking up. To his great surprise, it was Megatron who dove down to land in their midst.

"Lord Megatron," Hook greeted respectfully. "The Autobot Leader is dead?"

"He will be." The hard edge to his voice warned them all against further questions. Megatron took note of the signs of a battle, and the three corpses, none of which was Autobot. "Were you ambushed by Prime's entire army?" he sneered, contemptuous of their pathetic showing.

"_No._" Scavenger carefully moderated his tone when Megatron turned toward him. "We fought a Femme and two Autobots, but one of them can make himself invisible at will."

"Hm... Interesting." That Autobot will have to be found later and dissected for his unique ability. Megatron crouched down to Hook's level and yanked aside an armor plate, uncovering the ruptured cable and broken wiring. "Repair me."

"Yes, Lord Megatron." Hook dutifully inspected his Leader's wound; it was deep, going all the way through his frame. "Replacements are needed, but I don't have spare parts of the right size at this time."

Megatron scowled, displeased with the medic's prognosis. His gaze swept over the other Decepticons present, settling on the injured Sixshot. Besides Shockwave and Soundwave, the triple-changer was closest to him in size. Using the newly-sparked Decepticons was not a viable option, since they were created from inferior materials, as Shockwave had pointed out. "Take what you need from Sixshot."

"Sixshot?" Hook repeated, vaguely disturbed by the notion of salvaging parts from a still-living Decepticon -- an Autobot would have been a different matter -- but the coldly adamant look on Megatron's face deterred him from voicing his distaste. "Yes, Lord Megatron."

Ravage, on the other hand, had no qualms about speaking up, and did just that. Loudly. "_Can't _take parts! Sixshot would _die_!"

_That will be the inevitable result, _Hook privately thought. Sixshot would slip into recharge, his body's futile attempt to keep the crippled systems operational. A recharge he'll never come out of before eventually expiring. Unless... "You will repair Sixshot with the All Spark, Lord Megatron?"

"I'll _consider _it," Megatron responded, making no promises, angered by the drone's outburst.

_Consider it, yes, but you'll choose to not bother saving him in the end, _Hook astutely discerned. Judging from their reactions, Ravage and Sixshot both came to that conclusion, too.

"No--"

//_Do not defy him!_//Sixshot cut Ravage off in mid-protest. Lord Megatron will have his way, as usual, and won't be swayed by a 'drone', or anyone else. Giving up on any scheme he had at besting Soundwave, he lowered his head to the ground. //_Make it quick, Hook._//

//_Of course._// Hook used his strongest laser to carve a hole in Sixshot's armor and, reaching in, forced the massive warrior offline.

_Not fair... _Ravage turned to face the other direction, slouching, so he wouldn't have to witness his sort-of friend being cannibalized. The sooner this was over, the sooner Hook can come with him and help Soundwave.

"Is there anything else you require from me, Lord Megatron?" Hook asked once the transfer was finished.

Megatron took another, longer look at the dead Decepticons, specifically Shortround. A crafty smile formed. "Yes."

Scavenger scrambled back when Lord Megatron walked toward him. _What does he want now? _he wondered, watching Megatron kneel beside Shortround's body. The answer wasn't long in coming. Megatron used his razer-sharp fingers to tear away the armor covering Shortround's left arm. "_L-Lord Megatron_!"

Megatron ignored the shrill cry and called the medic to him.

"Lord Megatron?" questioned a puzzled Hook.

"I want you to remove Shortround's plasma weapon and implant it in me."

"I'll do my best, Lord Megatron, but it won't be compatible with your systems," Hook mentioned as he complied. "You'll only get one burst, possibly two, before it ceases functioning."

Megatron smiled again. "One will be sufficient."

_We live to serve him, _Scavenger stoically reminded himself. There was one consolation in this; Shortround's plasma cannon will help Lord Megatron destroy the Autobot Leader, Prime. That would please him.

* * *

None of the scant information she'd gleaned from others about bonds had prepared Thunderblast for experiencing one firsthand. This had been vastly different from past joinings: Their sparks actually melded into one. Mirage had reacted to it first, and jerked away from her, but of course it was too late to prevent the bond from forming. The abrupt separation had been wrenchingly painful, sending them into a brief recharge.

They came back online at the exact same instance, their chest plates sliding closed with a faint _clink_sound. Bewildered, Thunderblast made no effort to get move just yet. She could actually feel Mirage's thoughts and feelings. And right now he was furious with her.

"You've joined sparks with _dozens _of Autobot prisoners before killing them!" Mirage accused. The jumble of emotions coming from the Femme was confusing, but he had no interest in trying to sort them out.

Shaking off the lingering daze, Thunderblast was uncomfortably aware of her vulnerable position, lying half beneath him on the floor. "I was following orders!"

"**Don't**lie to me." His blue optics darkened several shades. "Megatron said nothing to you about spark-joining with the prisoners."

_How could he possibly know that? _she wondered, staring mutely at him.

"I know because I remember it, just as you do," Mirage scornfully answered the unspoken question. "You haven't noticed that?"

"...no..." A quick check revealed the truth; there were numerous strange, unfamiliar memories interspersed with her own. "_**No!**_" Thunderblast shoved at Mirage to get him off of her, suddenly terrified by this new level of intimacy, and it's consequences.

"_Yes._" He shifted his weight to keep her pinned down. "Why did you violate them?"

"I enjoyed it!".

"No, you didn't. Not as much as you pretend to." Mirage frowned down at the contradictory Femme_. What a twisted sense of humor Primus has, bonding me to this one._

"This one? _This one?_" Insulted, and hoping to distract Mirage from guessing her motive, Thunderblast jerked her arm loose and punched him.

"Don't be a fool," he snapped, knowing she felt the stinging blow, too. "Now tell me why you did it."

"_Never!_" she defiantly refused. _**Why **__did I let this happen? _Thunderblast raged at herself. She'd never felt so exposed in her life! _There has to be a way to sever this bond, or at least block him!_

"There isn't, that I've ever heard of," replied Mirage, revulsion mingled with smugness at the Femme's desperation. He delved a little further into the loathsome spark-memories he'd been afflicted with. "Perceptor had little trouble escaping from you, I see."

_Why you... _Maddened by his gloating, Thunderblast payed him back by sending a burst of hatred through the bond they shared. Let him process that!

Mirage grunted at the discomfort that caused him. "Spiteful chunk of scrap!"

"Arrogant rust pile!"

"Stop it," he ordered, his mood turning somber. Throwing insults at each other really was no to deal with the situation. And what became of Cybertron's most brilliant scientist?

"This is a mistake!" Thunderblast tried very hard not to think of what Megatron will do when he learns of it.

"_Obviously." _Mirage raised an eyeridge, curious regardless of his animosity towards her. "Are you really that afraid of him?"

"No more than any other _sane _being," she retorted in an acid tone.

"Then why did you abandon your duties as a Femme and join the Decepticons?" demanded Mirage, despite his resolve to remain detached.

Thunderblast stared at him as if he truly had lost his wits. "Because Lord Megatron will win this war."

"Oh, really?" he scoffed. "How is he going to accomplish that? _We_ have the All Spark now."

"Not for long," she muttered, certain that Lord Megatron will wrest it away from the Autobot Leader, then looked away. "Would you let me up...._please_?"

"No," Mirage refused, not quite finished with their little chat yet. "You joined sparks with only five Decepticons. Including Megatron." That last memory was certainly ironic, considered the Femme's own past behavior. "Why?"

Thunderblast shoved at him again, frustrated by his persistent meddling. "Stay out of my thoughts!"

"I've already told you I can't." Impatient with her obstinance, Mirage tapped her chest. "Why so few Decepticons?"

"I'm just particular about who I choose to join with, like you," she answered, fuming. _How dare he presume to interrogate me! _"Your pretty companion, Tracks, seems quite talented."

His fingers closed threateningly around the armor plating covering her spark. "Do _not _speak his name!_" _

Thunderblast flinched at the roiling emotions, and the fleeting image she received from him of Tracks. The lithe Autobot had been taken apart, his remains arranged into five neat stacks. There was a demented sort of artistry in it, one that she'd seen before. Tracks' ghastly demise had occurred on Cybertron, judging by the rocky ground. She regarded Mirage silently for a moment before asking, "Who did that to him?"

He hesitated, firmly repressing the horrific memory, suspicious of her interest. _If she tries to use that against me somehow, I'll make her regret it!_

"I'm sure you will," she said blandly, waiting for him to confirm her suspicions.

"--It was Bombshell," Mirage eventually answered her. "He and those two 'friends' of his."

"Whom you've spent the past thousand vorns hunting."

"Of _course_." He returned to the subject they'd been on before her attempt to distract him. "Why so few Decepticons? Shortround was absurdly devoted to you, and yet you despised him."

"_**Stop**_!" yelled Thunderblast, too angry now to care if there was anyone else nearby.

Mirage continued, undeterred. "You liked Starscream well enough, but--"

"They weren't the right one!" she interrupted his theorizing. _Curse you for making me say it aloud! _Instead of gloating, as she'd expected him to do, Mirage merely nodded. _Is there no way of keeping a secret from him? _

"Probably not," Mirage responded, loosening his grip on her. _She'd been looking for me all that time._ He didn't know whether to be flattered or appalled by her methods.

Thunderblast slumped limply on the floor. "All right, yes. I've always known it would be an Autobot. Are you satisfied now?"

"Somewhat," he said, deep in thought. If there was a way out of this trap he'd blundered into, Ratchet would know of it. Mirage intended to ask him later; the ancient medic could be trusted to be discreet.

"Pity poor Mirage - ensnared by a lowly Femme," Thunderblast jeered at his thoughts.

He didn't want all the other Autobots to find out about this debacle anymore than she did.

"It could be rather embarrassing," he admitted offhandedly. Sunstreaker certainly wouldn't hesitate to voice his opinion.

"Embarrassing?" she repeated in a hiss, her temper flaring. Looking past him and through one of the holes in the walls, Thunderblast spotted a mostly-intact granite statue in front of another building, across the street. That will do.

Her incensed reaction made Mirage grimace, mildly chagrined. Clearly he'll have to be more mindful of what he says and thinks, no matter how aggravating such a concession was. "That was not--" he began, in a tepid attempt at an apology.

Paying no attention to what he was saying, Thunderblast teleported herself and Mirage outside. She'd also reversed their positions so that his head struck the base of the statue. The sound it made was somewhat gratifying, in spite of the pain she felt through their bond.

"_Argh!_" Mirage grabbed Thunderblast and threw her off him.

Thunderblast landed hard on the front lawn and rolled a few times, the dizzying ache in her processor slowing her reflexes. Stumbling to her feet, she swiped at clumps of soil now imbedded in her frame. _Filthy planet!_

"Well, that's one thing we can both agree on," grumbled Mirage, hastily running a self-diagnosis. There was a sizable dent, but no real damage had been done, thank Primus. That Femme was as vindictive as any Decepticon. He gave her an exasperated look when she started to point her cannon at him. "Pummelling each other is not going to solve anything."

"No, it won't," admitted Thunderblast, though it galled her to agree with him on anything. But right now she had a much more important problem to deal with. She **had **to think of a way to appease Lord Megatron when he learns of their bonding, or else suffer a slow, agonizing death.

The best chance of that would be to bring him the human that he hates so virulently.

"_What?!_" He scowled forbiddingly at her. "You are _**not **_going looking for Witwicky!"

Thunderblast hunched over; it felt like a heavy weight was pulling at her spark. "_No_ _one_ controls me!"

Mirage lunged at the Femme, but she teleported, escaping, before he could grab her.

* * *

Surprised by the new arrivals, Huffer spoke a little louder than usual. //_You're still alive_.//

//_It's nice to see you, too_,// Arcee replied testily. _He would assume we'd been killed!_

Prowl gave Huffer a reproving look and addressed Hoist. //_Report._//

//_Shockwave went through that place._// Hoist gestured to the remains of the Washington Convention Center. //_We were about to go after him when five more Decepticons joined him._//

//_The biggest one's glitching,_// added Grapple. //_From what we heard, he had a phobia of dead humans._//

//_He must be the one Thundercracker told us about -- created from a bus that had been carrying passengers,_// Arcee deduced, with a pang of sympathy for the Youngling over his horrifying 'birth'.

//_I still say we should use that fear against him,_// Huffer complained, disgruntled over being overruled the first time.

Arcee gave him a look of disbelief. //_Are you suggesting that we dig corpses out of the rubble and--_//

//_And throw them at him?_// Grapple finished, and shook his head at the macabre proposal.

//_They're just shells now._// Huffer argued, turning to Prowl for support, oblivious to the warning looks he was receiving from Arcee, Grapple and Hoist.

//_That may be, but according to most of the native cultures here, humans are very sensitive about how their 'shells' are treated_,// Prowl informed him. //_Tossing them at a Decepticon is out of the question._//

Huffer shrugged. //_If you insist._//

//_We do,_// Arcee firmly reiterated.

_No one ever appreciates my ideas. _Huffer thought, grumpy.

Prowl focused his attention back on the problem before them. Shockwave alone was quite formidable. Now that he's called these Decepticons to him... //_We need reinforcements. Arcee, follow Shockwave while we find other Autobots to aid us -- and do so very carefully._//

//_I'm always careful._// A bit surprised that he needed to be reminded of that fact, Arcee trotted off to circle the Convention Center.

"Do you need repairs, Prowl?" Grapple asked a moment later; his left arm looked rather stiff.

"Later," he answered, glancing distractedly back in the direction they'd come from.

Huffer caught the worried look. "Arcee's an expert at reconnaissance," he grudgingly remarked.

"Yes, she is." Prowl nodded, relaxing a little, and walked faster.

Hoist's optics widened in astonishment and he nudged Grapple. //_Did you hear that? He just said something positive!_//

//_Unbelievable!_// Grapple marveled, grinning at Huffer's back. //_His central processor must be damaged._//

//_Primus, will he ever be the same again?_// joked Hoist. Their moment of levity abruptly ended when Prowl signaled to them that someone was approaching.

//_Decepticons?_// Hoist inquired.

//_No. Ironhide._// Prowl frowned at the sound of the Weapons Specialist berating whatever hapless Autobot was with him. Was he trying to draw the enemy to them? On second thought, knowing Ironhide, that probably wouldn't bother him much at all. //_Ironhide, it's Prowl,_// he sent, snapping a telephone pole in half to alert him to their location. //_Huffer, Grapple and Hoist are here, too._//

//_Hoist? Good. Hold on, we're coming to you,_// Ironhide responded.

His heavy footsteps were clearly audible now, and a few astro-seconds later Ironhide emerged from a side street, carrying Bumblebee.

"How bad is it?" Hoist asked, already running scans on them both.

"I'm strong enough to walk now," Bumblebee complained, practically radiating frustration.

"Strong enough to fight, too, right?" Ironhide made a snorting sound and put the scout down. "Well, I don't wanna have to tell Mikaela how you got slagged again."

_Kaela... _Bumblebee visibly deflated, head bowed and frame sagging in anguish.

Ironhide's expression softened ever so slightly. "I'd hate feeling helpless, too. And I want revenge as much as you do, for what they did to Mikaela and---other humans. As soon as you're fully recharged, we _will_ have it. I'll make sure of that!"

Bumblebee perked up, buoyed by his friend's fierce vow. He wasn't going to rest easy until _all_of the Decepticons have been terminated, as they deserve.

"Arcee is tracking Shockwave and a group of the Earth-sparked Decepticons. Surely they are a higher priority right now?" Prowl put in, a reminder for them to not let personal grievances cloud their judgment.

"I suppose," rumbled Ironhide, with great reluctance, and clapped a hand on Bumblebee's shoulder. //_Don't worry._ _We'll get those slaggin' murderers. I promise._//

//_We'll send them to the Pit where they belong!_//

//_Damn right!_// Ironhide agreed, borrowing a favorite phrase of Will Lennox's. "Wait here, and keep out of sight 'til I come back, Bumblebee."

"Yes, Sir!_"_ Bumblebee walked over to a grove of cherry trees and sat down amidst them, head tilting back as he absorbed more of the sun's energy.

//_Arcee, we're coming back with Ironhide,_// Prowl told her as they headed back toward the Convention Center. //_Where are you now?_//

//_Ironhide? Thank Primus!_// she exclaimed before answering him. //_Shockwave and the other Decepticons just passed through Chinatown. There must be nothing of interest to them here; they've continued heading South._//

//_All right. Let us know if and when they do stop,_// Prowl frowned, perturbed by his reaction to the joy in Arcee's voice at the news of her former teacher joining them. Of course Arcee would be relieved that he's alive and well. They were close friends, having known each other for hundreds of millennium, and resenting that made no sense at all. This baffling feeling will have to be analyzed later: He could not let it distract him. "Where is Ratchet?" he asked, looking about. It was unusual to see Ironhide without the medic at his side.

"He's--we left him behind." Ironhide couldn't bring himself to say 'he's gone', even though he knew in his spark that Ratchet was dead. Optimus **had **to take Megatron out: _Everything_ depended on it!

"You left him? Is he..." Grapple trailed off at Ironhide's grim expression.

"Yeah," he curtly replied, voice crackling with repressed emotions. "Can we hurry it up?"

Deciding it was best to not question him further regarding Ratchet's fate, Prowl picked up the pace. It wasn't long before they met up with Arcee again, who'd been warned against asking Ironhide about the medic.

"They entered that building over there," Arcee told them, pointing to it while looking Ironhide over for injuries.

"Hmph. I'm still in one piece, this time."

She smiled warmly at the gruff old warrior. "I never doubted it."

"Are they still inside?" Prowl asked rather sharply, to his surprise as well as theirs.

"Yes," Arcee answered, giving Prowl a puzzled look. What was he angry about?

"We should try to lure 'em out," Ironhide recommended. The building, named after some human called Hoover, was surprisingly still intact.

"Why not just destroy it along with them?" asked Huffer. "It's structurally unsound, anyway."

"Hrm." Ironhide nodded slowly. "He's got a point there."

"That is not an adequate reason!" Grapple objected. "That building can be easily reinforced with stronger materials."

Prowl consulted his databank. "The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency that gathers tactical intelligence. Shockwave must be accessing their computers to plan attacks on future targets."

"Let's stop him, then." Bringing his cannons up, Ironhide fired at the Hoover Building.

"That's one way to get their attention," Arcee commented, observing the resulting explosion. The windows shattered into thousands of pieces, and she wondered why humans use glass at all. It was so fragile.

"Yeah, and there they are now." Three of the Decepticons had smashed through a side wall. Ironhide aimed his cannon at the middle one, the shot throwing it to the ground. Prowl led the charge against the other two.

Ironhide fired more missiles, determined to drive Shockwave out. _C'mon, c'mon. _That did the trick. The tall Military Commander emerged from the burning F.B.I. building; he looked annoyed by the interruption.

_Will these fools never give up? _Shockwave ordered the remaining two Decepticons to join their brethren -- who were hard-pressed battling the smaller, swifter Autobots -- as he started toward Ironhide, then halted and looked up. A shadow appeared on the grassy lawn between him and Ironhide. He caught a glimpse of the Seeker before he vanished. Skywarp? What was that traitor doing here? Suspicious, he scanned the sky, but there was no sign of either Skywarp or Thundercracker.

Ironhide was also aware of Skywarp's brief visit. _Fragger'd better not get in my way. _He threw himself into a roll, narrowly avoiding a deadly blast from Shockwave.

Arcee saw Ironhide turn his head slightly to the left. He and Ratchet were a team for so long, it had to be difficult for him to adjust to fighting alone again. Breaking away from the others then, she peppered Shockwave with missile darts.

Prowl fretted when Arcee edged toward Shockwave. She jumped back when the Decepticon turned and swung a huge fist at her. That gave Ironhide the opening he needed. Well-aimed shots from all three cannons, and Shockwave dropped to one knee. He didn't stay down long, though.

Shockwave was up again in an instance, returning fire at the Ironhide and Arcee. _That was close, _Prowl thought, splitting his concentration between his own fight and theirs. Shockwave was quite fast for his huge size. Ducking his opponent's spinning blade, he went to Grapple's aid. The yellow Decepticon -- formerly a means of public conveyance for humans -- had pinned Grapple the side of a brick building.

Unnoticed this time, Skywarp burst into the air five hundred feet above the combatants and released his passenger, Thundercracker. //_You'd better be quick about it, before they see you,_// he advised, marking a clear space on the ground for his next return, then left again.

_You think so? _Thundercracker thought peevishly. He did _not _like doing this to the Autobots, but Shockwave and those imposter Decepticon had to be stopped from sending a warning.

At least the damage he was about to inflict will be easily repaired. That was some consolation, but Thundercracker hoped that Prime won't be too angry when he finds out.

Dropping lower, he shielded his audio receptors to protect them before producing a huge, deafening sonic boom. Decepticons and Autobots alike cried out and toppled over. _I'm sorry, _he silently apologized. Burst receptors were painful.

"Those **fraggers**!" Ironhide cursed, desperately trying to shake off the vertigo enough to aim his cannons at the conniving Seeker. _I knew they were up to no good! _

_Attacking us all? _Shockwave recovered from the dizziness first and turned to Thundercracker, scrutinizing him. The Seeker flew away to land atop a nearby building. What was his motive in this? Has Thundercracker reconsidered the wisdom of defecting? The answer to that puzzle wasn't long in coming. Skywarp reappeared, and with him was --- Starscream?

For a moment he just stood there, confused by the unexpected tableau before him. How could this be? Thundercracker and Skywarp cared nothing for Starscream_,_and the Autobots had even less regard for him. "This is illogical_."_

Starscream glared hatefully at Shockwave, pulled away from Skywarp and attacked.

Astonished by his appearance, Arcee found herself batted aside as Starscream flew at Shockwave, his hands extended like claws.

Bracing himself, Shockwave was staggered when the Seeker collided with him, but remained upright.

Her crossbow went through the windshield of the automobile Arcee landed on, and she saw Prowl turn her way. The normally staid Autobot actually looked worried, and as bewildered as everyone else. He seemed to be calling out to her, but all she could hear now was a grating staticky noise. She unable to send to anyone, as well. _Starscream alive? What in the name of Primus is going on?_

"I'll _kill _you," Starscream swore, raking deep gashes in Shockwave's armor.

Shockwave smashed a fist into his face, knocking the deposed Leader away from him. "Not if I kill you first. Again," he stated, barely able to hear through his own damaged audios, thanks to that miscreant Thundercracker. "I am certain that it will take no longer than five cycles. You've always been an incompetent nuisance."

"_I am __**not**_!" Starscream took a step back; two of the Earth-spawned Decepticons had abandoned their own fights with the Autobots and were coming at him to aid Shockwave. With his usual impeccable timing, Skywarp chose that moment to reappear, bringing Ramjet this time. Thundecracker swooped down and joined his teammates in strafing the oversize drones.

_Traitors. You will die slowly for this, _Shockwave thought, noting Ramjet's defection as he met Starscream's rejuvenated attack with blaster fire. "I shall bring Lord Megatron your head as a trophy," he taunted.

_How is this possible? _wondered Prowl, so distracted by Starscream's return to the living that the Decepticon's lethal blade sliced across the length of his right arm. That hurt.

_We're all doomed now, _Huffer predicted as he helped put down Prowl's opponent. Grapple and Hoist easily eliminated the remaining, smaller Younglings, but in his view that was a hollow victory.

Prowl nodded his thanks to Huffer, then shifted his focus to this bizarre turn of events. Starscream was firing at Shockwave, who deftly side-stepped the missile. Thundercracker must have either lied about Starscream's demise. Or else he used the All Spark to resurrect him. But then why give it to Optimus? What purpose could two completely contradictory actions possibly serve? Had Thundercracker and Starscream argued? Was it all some sort of elaborate scheme? What are the Seekers hoping to accomplish? This was such a confusing puzzle, his central processor started to overheat from trying to unravel it. Prowl looked to Ironhide for guidance on what to do.

Ironhide indicated with hand gestures that they all should stay back, let the two Seconds fight it out, and see which one's left standing in the end. Skywarp and Thundercracker had the same idea, keeping on optic on that pair. They'd taken up a vantage point on a rooftop. _Well, they didn't attack us again. That's a good sign...I guess. And if Starscream manages to win this duel, we'll find out just what the slag he's doing here._

Removing slivers of glass from of her crossbow, Arcee made her way over to the group of Autobots. Hoist had immediately set to work on replacing damaged receptors, beginning with Prowl's.

Shockwave glanced once at the dead Decepticons, then dismissed the loss as negligible. Billions of warriors will be created to replace these paltry few. A more urgent matter was finally ridding the universe of Starscream. Permanently. The fact that he himself would not survive long afterward, surrounded as he'll likely be by Autobots, did not trouble him in the slightest. Confident of his own worth to Lord Megatron, Shockwave had no doubt that he would be re-sparked with the Cube. Another shot from his blaster took off the top portion of one wing, drawing a low-pitched screech from the Seeker.

_I can defeat him...I __**will **__defeat him! _Starscream told himself, ruthlessly stifling a spurt of fear. Shockwave seemed virtually impervious to his missiles. He knew the Military Commander was powerful -- Megatron would never have granted him such a high rank if he weren't - but surely he had a weakness that could be exploited. //_Wheeljack?_// he sent, opening a link to the scientist.

//_You're having difficulty with Shockwave, aren't you? I did tell you that you should deal with him later_.//

//_It's necessary_!// argued Starscream, wincing as Shockwave landed another solid blow to his head. It blurred the vision of his optics for an astro-second, but he was able to get close enough to score Shockwave's left shoulder with his claws. Not that Shockwave acknowledged the wound at all; his armor could regenerate almost as fast as Megatron's.

//_Necessary for your pride, perhaps. You've enough of that for five Seekers._// Wheeljack sighed rather loudly. //_I don't recommend trying to pummel Shockwave into scrap; that could take you an entire orn. Also, his logic center is the strongest I've ever encountered, after Prowl's. He'd have made an outstanding research scientist_.//

//_That's good to know. Thank you,_// Starscream sarcastically replied; Wheeljack was obviously still vexed at being asked to wait in Kansas. He was right, however. Shockwave will never let himself be baited into acting recklessly.

_I'll do just what he'll be expecting me to do, then. _As much as Starscream loathed falling back into the old habit he'd developed during the war -- making a show of groveling -- it never failed to placate, and amuse, Megatron. It should also be convincing enough that Shockwave will lower his guard and come closer, so he could do some _real _damage to his rival. Letting the next blast strike him in the chest, he doubled over, then crumpled to his knees. That was much closer to his spark casing than he liked, but he had to make this as realistic as possible.

//_I knew he'd do this,_// Skywarp sent at the same moment Thundercracker spoke to him and Ramjet.

//_We have to help him_.//

//_Why?_// asked Skywarp_._ //_You know he won't appreciate it._//

//_That doesn't matter,_// Thundercracker persisted_._ //_I say we should keep following Wheeljack's plan._//

//_Fine. I'll do it. I never liked Shockwave, anyway,_// Ramjet muttered, transforming and diving down at the two combatants.

Starscream feigned struggling to his feet, deliberately tripping over an Earth vehicle. Schooling his expression to one of pleading, he held his hands up in supplication. "Don't!"

"How pathetically typical," Shockwave stated with icy contempt. "Lord Megatron was far too lenient with you." He stepped toward the craven Seeker, and was bringing up his blaster when something struck him from behind, something large enough to send him flying over Starscream. White-hot agony blossomed throughout his midsection, and Shockwave didn't need a self-diagnosis to tell him just how fatally he'd been injured.

_You __**idiot**__! _Starscream ducked as Ramjet crashed into Shockwave. Furious over the interference, he jumped up and spun around. Ramjet and Shockwave had hit the pavement and skidded, trailing sparks and chips of armor behind them. As it often did, Ramjet's stunt left him badly injured, but Shockwave was in even worse condition

Ramjet angled his attack perfectly, for once. Megatron's new Second had been nearly torn in half. A few cables and one side panel of armor was all that was holding him together. A grinding noise followed by a squeal brought Starscream's attention back to Ramjet. He'd stupidly tried to transform. "What did you think you were doing??" Starscream demanded.

"I told you he wouldn't appreciate it," Skywarp pointed out, having teleported himself and Thundercracker to the ground next to them.

"How does letting Shockwave terminate you help Optimus stop Megatron?" Thundercracker scathingly asked.

_Optimus, Optimus, Optimus! fumed _Skywarp. _Is that all he can think about anymore?_

"Do not question my strategy!" Starscream glared at them. _Slag it all, I wanted to do this myself!_

"Help, please?" Ramjet whimpered.

"If you three are done arguing, would you mind telling us _what in Primus' name is going on_?"

Starscream stiffened and turned, remembering that they had a bewildered audience. //_Skywarp, take Ramjet and Thundercracker to Wheeljack, then come back,_// he ordered, ignoring Ironhide's question as he stomped over to Shockwave.

//_Yes, Lord Starscream._// Skywarp politely grabbed onto a part of Ramjet that wasn't caved in, caught hold of Thundercracker's arm, then all three vanished.

"This--is not--over," Shockwave sputtererd, optics flickering as a shudder wracked his frame.

Crouched beside him, Starscream smiled mockingly. "It will be, after I kill Megatron."

"No one can defeat Lord Megatron," he replied with utmost certainty.

"You can tell him that the next time you see him, in the Pit!" Starscream reached inside Shockwave's torso and yanked out his spark chamber.

Skywarp returned to see Starscream crush the casing in his hand. "I take it you're finished here?" he blandly inquired.

_"Starscream!" _Ironhide thundered, keeping all three cannons ready and trained on him "Just whose side are you on?"

He tossed an annoyed, sidelong glance at the persistent Autobot. "Cybertron's." Recalling Shockwave's earlier threat, Starscream ripped away wiring and cables, and with one strong twist removed his head. _This will force Megatron to take me seriously. _

"_Cybertron's__?_" Prowl frowned at Starscream's answer. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Skywarp eyed the head with morbid fascination. It was strange how the now-dead Shockwave seemed to be smiling. //_Where to next, Lord Starscream_?//

//_Back to Wheeljack,_// Starscream told Skywarp, once again ignoring the Autobots. A quick patching was needed before confronting Megatron.

//_Yes, Sir_.//

Ironhide blinked when Skywarp latched onto Starscream and teleported both of them away. Slowly lowering his weapons, he looked from the empty space to Shockwave's headless body. "Hmph. wasn't expecting that."

"I don't understand. They just---left," Prowl mumbled. Was the self-serving Starscream out to reclaim his place as Second-in-Command? He had to know that Megatron will not react well to his slaying Shockwave. Could Starscream be planning to openly challenge Megatron over Leadership of the Decepticons? That was extremely out of character for him. "I don't understand," he repeated. "I don't understand any of this."

"Neither do we. Prowl!" Arcee exclaimed, alarmed by the puff of smoke wafting out from his central processor. "We'll find out what they're up to!"

"There he goes," Huffer intoned. Prowl's optics went opaque and he fell over backwards.

* * *

Having another being inside of him was very strange, and Sunstreaker was already beginning to regret his generous offer. Especially when his passenger kept _moving! _"What did I ask you two cycles ago?"

"Sorry." Sam made an effort to stop fidgeting. "Can't help it."

"You can't?" Sunstreaker searched the Internet for information about humans and their habits. Jazz did mention that the boy has a pet. "Have you contracted parasites from that canine of yours?"

"Huh?" Sam gaped, his face heating up. "No! Mojo gets a bath twice a week! Plus he wears a flea collar! I'm just nervous! Is that all right with you? Geez!"

"I'm nervous, too," Mikaela confessed in support of her best friend. A pins-and-needles feeling in her feet made her frown, and she shifted in her seat. "See any Cons yet?"

"We'll let you know when we do," Sideswipe assured her, he and his twin rolling slowly down Main Street. So far the only movements they'd picked up on their sensors were from roaming animals.

"'kay." She tried stretching her legs out, but there really wasn't much room to. Did he have to pick a Lamborghini to copy? A sharp twinge in her back drew a gasp."Oh, no," she whispered, placing her hands on her knees. "_No_."

"Is something wrong, Mikaela Banes?" Sideswipe asked, concerned by her distress.

Mikaela chewed nervously on her lip. For a moment she couldn't feel her hand on her right leg, even when she squeezed hard. Then she could, but it still freaked her out. "It's those things Wheeljack put inside me. I think they're fritzing."

"You're paralyzed again?" Sideswipe stopped halfway through an intersection.

"No. Well...sort of, but only for a few seconds." She smacked a palm against the dashboard, frustrated. "Dammit! Why did this have to happen now?"

"I'm surprised they're working as well as they are," Sunstreaker interjected. "Wheeljack sometimes spends an entire stellar cycle to perfect his designs."

"--you're joking, right?" a horrified Mikaela asked. Spending a whole year trapped in a bed was_ not_ something she wanted to think about.

//_Stop playing with them, you aft,_// Sideswipe admonished his brother. "That has been known to happen, but only when Wheeljack's invention was very large, and very complicated. Don't worry, Mikaela Banes. He's one of our finest scientists."

"We've gotta find him!" Sam twisted around to look back at the other Lamborghini. "He fixed her once; he can do it again!"

"I'm certain that he will." Taking a chance, Sideswipe tried to open a link to the scientist. "But not right now, it seems. Wheeljack's blocked -- he must be busy fighting a Decepticon of his own."

"Shit..." Sam ran a hand over his face. This was bad. If those things screw up again and a Con comes along... "We shouldn't have come here. It was a crazy idea."

"I don't care!" Mikaela closed her eyes, struggling to get a grip on herself. "I just want Sixshot and Ravage to pay for what they did to Bumblebee."

Both twins gunned their engines, reminded of what the Decepticons did to their friend. "We can help you with that, while you're still mobile, Banes," Sunstreaker reconsidered; she did deserve a chance at revenge. The passenger door flew open, startling the boy. "Out, Witwicky."

"Ok, ok!" Sam grabbed his chainsaw and jumped out. "What are you gonna do?"

"Take a look around," he replied, closing the door and transforming. "Give me another boost, Sideswipe. I should be able to spot Sixshot if he's near."

"He's hard to miss." Sideswipe activated a holoform to help Banes if she needed it.

"Thank you." Smiling gratefully, she took the proffered hand and carefully got out. Sideswipe's holo was of a fairly nondescript dark-haired man, with a friendly, earnest face. _He's so much nicer than his brother. I'd better switch rides with Sam and give him a break. _

Sideswipe retrieved the chainsaw, handing it to her, then transformed and turned to Sunstreaker. "Ready."

"How's your back?" Sam asked Mikaela, watching as Sunstreaker went airborne.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "So far so good."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed."

"Thanks, Sam." Mikaela smiled fleetingly at him, then Sunstreaker glided back down and landed. She held her chainsaw so tightly that her fingers ached. "Well?"

"I've found Sixshot, along with a couple other Decepticons. They're--" Sunstreaker paused as he calculated the distance in human terms. "--one and one-quarter mile away. But I think they might already be dead. They weren't not moving at all."

"They could be pretending," warned Sideswipe.

"There's one way to know for sure," Mikaela said, ripping the plastic covering off her chainsaw. More clouds were moving in, and it looked like it was going to start raining again, but she wanted to be ready.

Sam nodded and unwrapped his own chainsaw. "Let's go."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Sunstreaker remarked with an approving smile, while his twin looked more reticent. Both twins changed back, doors swinging open for their passengers.

_Whoa. _Mikaela braced her hands on the dashboard. Sideswipe and his brother sped down the street, threading their way around rubble and abandoned cars, then cut through a small park. A couple turns around corners and the Decepticons came into view. There were four of them, all laid out on the ground. She and Sam hopped out the second the doors opened, and kept well back as the twins transformed and went to investigate.

"--think they're really dead?" Sam asked Mikaela in a hushed whisper.

"I hope so!"

"These ones are," Sideswipe reported after scanning the bodies of Shortround, Mixmaster and Long Haul.

"Sixshot isn't. Not yet, at least." Sunstreaker had his cannon aimed at the motionless warrior as a precaution. "He's offline."

Mikaela and Sam snuck forward between the gold Autobot's feet, and almost dropped their chainsaws when they got a good look at Sixshot. "What the hell happened?" Sam blurted out.

Sideswipe circled the eviscerated Decepticon. "Someone scavenged him for spare parts. Not too long ago, either."

"While he's still alive?" Mikaela turned away, feeling sick. _Good God, that's barbaric._

"He can't feel any pain now." Sunstreaker kicked Sixshot in the leg to demonstrate.

"He looks kinda--sad," Sam stared hard at Sixshot. That was a weird notion, but he really did look sad.

Mikaela took a deep breath and firmly told herself that that bastard didn't deserve pity. "So?"

"Sixshot's never shown mercy to us," Sideswipe stated, with a dark look at the offline Decepticon. "And he's dying, anyway."

Sunstreaker shoved Sixshot over into his side and peeled away what remained of his chest armor. "Come here, Banes." He glanced back at her when she didn't move. "You still want to do this, don't you?"

"Yes. I do." Mikaela walked jerkily over to him, surprised to see that the Decepticon's spark was blue, like the Autobots'. Sideswipe was right about him dying -- his spark pulse was weak and erratic. She hesitated, suddenly unsure. "So do I just shove it in, or what?" _Christ, that sounded so wrong. _

"No." He took her question seriously. "I recommend aiming and tossing that contraption. There won't be any danger to you then from the spark energy."

_Duh. That energy would go right through the damn chainsaw and probably fry me. _Mikaela felt like whapping herself in the head for forgetting that little detail. _What the hell am I waiting for?_ She looked around at the others. Sam looked anxious, but didn't try to stop her, while Sideswipe's expression was unreadable. Did he disapprove of what she was about to do? Would Bumblebee?

"Banes?" Sunstreaker impatiently called her name. "There are more Decepticons to hunt down."

"Do you need help, 'kaela?" asked Sam, shaking off the spell of ambiguity. Sixshot had it coming to him, like the twins said.

"I'm okay." Mikaela steeled herself and started up the chainsaw. "This is for Bee, you fucker," she whispered before throwing it with all her strength.

The spark hardly flashed at all when the blade went through it, which was a good thing since she didn't have a chance to shield her eyes. She tensed up when Sixshot made a noise, almost like a sigh, then was silent, his casing dark and empty now. Fumbling with the switch, Mikaela turned off the chainsaw and let it fall to the ground.

Behind her, Sam let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He'd half-expected the huge Decepticon to come alive and attack. _Man, I've watched too many horror flicks. _Mikaela's face was pale as she brushed by him, wandering back over to Sideswipe. "Mikaela? Are you alright?"

She shook her head mutely, arms wrapped around herself. That didn't go the way she thought it would, at all. "I thought I'd feel something...relief, satisfaction..but I'm just--"

"Wiped out," Sam provided. "Yeah. I felt the same way, after Megatron."

"Most humans have no experience with war," Sideswipe commented, tentatively patting Banes' shoulder with one finger in an attempt to comfort her.

_Ow.. That's gonna leave a bruise, _Mikaela thought, almost losing her balance, but didn't complain to Sideswipe. He was just trying to be nice.

"You need to take it easy, Mikaela," urged Sam. "If those implant things break down..."

"I know, but Ravage might still be around here somewhere..." She raked her fingers through her hair. _Damn, I hate running away like a coward._

"Yes, and I doubt he's offline. That drone's very elusive," Sunstreaker remarked.

"We'll get him for you," Sam was quick to volunteer. "Right, guys?"

"Definitely," Sideswipe agreed, poking his reticent twin in the back.

Sunstreaker gave him a look, then shrugged. It was the least they could do for Bumblebee's mate. "We search this whole city for Ravage. He won't get away."

"Thanks. I really appreciate this." Mikaela looked entreatingly up at Sideswipe. "Could you do me one more favor? Find Bee and make sure he's ok?"

"We can do that, too," Sunstreaker answered, in a magnanimous mood now, and included his brother in the link he opened to the scout. //_Is this a bad time_?//

//_No. I'm recharging my solar power cells. Why_?//

//_There's someone who'd like to see you,_// Sideswipe told Bumblebee, then mentioned, //_We helped her kill Sixshot, by the way._//

//_Arcee_?// Bumblebee asked, sounding puzzled. //_I thought she was with Prowl and Mirage._//

//_She is. It's your little human female I'm talking about._// There was a few astro-seconds of silence while Bumblebee processed the news.

//_**Mikaela?!**__// _

_Primus.. _//_Calm down. She's fine,_// he told the panicked scout.

//_Give me your coordinates, and I'll bring her to you,_// offered Sideswipe.

Bumblebee immediately sent them the information. //_**How did Kaela get here? Why is she here? Is Sam with you, too? Are Lennox and Simmons? Does Optimus know? Why didn't they stay in Indiana where they were safe?**_**// **

Sunstreaker waited for the barrage of questions to end. //_How should know? I'm sure she'll tell you everything."_

//...._all right...._// came Bumblebee's subdued reply. //_**Just hurry**_!//

Sideswipe had already transformed and opened the door for Mikaela. "Get in. I'll take you to Bumblebee."

Her face lit up at the offer. '"You will? He's all right, then?"

"Yes, and very eager to see you, I'd say," Sunstreaker said, amused by her reaction.

"Oh, thank you, Sideswipe!" Mikaela gave Sam a quick hug before hurrying over to the car, then stopped and turned to the other twin. "Sunstreaker?"

"Banes?"

"You be nice to Sam, okay?"

He almost chuckled at the reproachful look she was giving him. Humans were an audacious species. That certainly explained why Jazz liked them. "I'll make every effort to," Sunstreaker solemnly vowed.

Sam was openly skeptical. "Can I get that in writing?" he snarked, taking a step back when Sunstreaker frowned at him. "Just kidding."

_--you'd better be. _Sunstreaker pointedly ignored the boy and examined the ground by the Decepticons' bodies.

"So..." Sam began, turning to wave as Sideswipe zipped off. "Which way do we go?"

"These tracks belong to one of the drones. Frenzy, I'd say. We'll follow him back to his master. Where Soundwave is, the other drones usually are, too."

"I think I'd better wallk and stay behind you. Safer that way, ya know?"

"Yes, that would be the best for you," Sunstreaker readily agreed as he started off. "We wouldn't want you to get stepped on."

"Gee, thanks." Sam gave him a raspberry, not caring how childish that was. Keeping a good twelve paces behind, he and Sunstreaker both stopped when they heard a loud scrabbling. _Probably a dog, _Sam concluded. Past experience with Frenzy told him that the little drone was way too sneaky to make that much noise. He looked around while Sunstreaker investigated.

That was a mistake. He was right next to a Subway, and his stomach suddenly remembered that he hasn't had a thing to eat for hours. Sam staunchly tried to ignore the rumbling. _Man, twelve-inch meatball mozzarella...Stop it! _He pulled his nose away from the window and started to move away from the sandwich shop when he was was snatched up from behind. "_Hey_!"

"_Cut it_--" Sam wriggled around to face who he thought was Sunstreaker messing around with him. "--out..." his voice petered out as he stared, terrified, into a pair of red optics. _Oh, fuck... Not again!!_


	29. Chapter 29

* * *

A.N. This chapter's a bit shorter than the last few. Also, the first half of it covers two separate POVs of the same conversation.

Warning: Contains character deaths.

* * *

There were eleven humans strolling around at the recharge facility when she arrived there, guided there by Mirage's memories, but Witwicky was not one of them. Neither were the other Autobot pets. Thunderblast was tempted to take her frustration out on those fleeing creatures.

_You assumed that Witwicky and his friends would still be there?_ a smug Mirage answered her thoughts. _They didn't strike me as the type to just stand about and await our return._

_Clever Autobot, letting me chase shadows, _she responded bitterly.

_Of course._ _Now stop being difficult and come back here._

_---why?_

_Ignoring our bond won't make it disappear. Besides, there's really nowhere else you can go. You must realize that._

His tone was calm, perfectly reasonable, and it still riled her temper. Thunderblast paced back and forth, kicking over a tree in her agitation. _I must find that boy! Lord Megatron will kill us both if I don't bring it to him._

Mirage sounded annoyed now. _You're still convinced he'll win, even without the Cube?_

_I know him...more than I ever wanted to. Megatron will never give up, and your Leader is too much of a weakling--_ she broke off, flinching at his burst of fury.

_Optimus Prime is not __weak!_ snarled Mirage.

Thunderblast stopped pacing and looked Eastward toward Washington. _Do you truly believe that Prime will defeat Megatron?_

_Absolutely! Megatron will __**never**__ have the Cube! _he emphatically asserted.

This was absurd. While both sides' numbers have been greatly diminished since the Cube was lost, the surviving Decepticons were, for the most part, merciless warriors. Unlike the Autobots. She growled, angry with herself for almost letting him sway her. The Decepticons will win back the Cube. It was inevitable.

The only way to counter his prying was to not remember or think of anything, which was impossible. Sharing a spark with Mirage was fast becoming intolerable, and dangerous, since he was so adept at baiting her into revealing more memories to him. _Primus, would you leave me alone?!_

_I don't think I will. Not that I could, anyway_, he drawled_. Now are you coming back or not? _

_I--don't know, _Thunderblast thought back, confused and flustered. Mirage was annoyed and impatient, she could feel through their bond. There also seemed to be an odd sense of...interest? That was impossible. Or should be, at least.

_There's really no where else you could go, is there? _Mirage continued on. _The other Decepticons will reject you, as they've always done, if they don't kill you outright._

Thunderblast glared up at the cloudy sky, resenting him for pointing that out. _That is no concern of yours._

_Unfortunately, everything is my concern, now that we're bonded_.

_And you're just ecstatic about it, _she thought snarkily, and could almost feel him shrug.

_Indeed, because you have such an amazingly pleasant disposition, _he fired back, and was met with a stony silence. _This is a new experience, for both of us, and will take some time getting used to._

Getting used to? Fists clenching at how resigned he sounded, Thunderblast scowled, hearing the sound of jets approaching. Just what she needed right now, humans coming around to harass her. _What to do....what to do..._ she pondered, thinking fast, and trying her best to ignore Mirage's very existence. An alternative solution to her predicament occurred to her then.

Witwicky was beyond her reach now, obviously, but Wheeljack wasn't. That scientist would be in Washington, fighting alongside his fellow Autobots. He just may be enough of a prize to satisfy Lord Megatron.

_You think you can capture Wheeljack? _Mirage actually chuckled at her. _This will be amusing. _

_We'll see, _Thunderblast stiffly replied, and teleported back to Washington, D.C. in stages, returning far from where she'd left Mirage. No matter what, she simply _had_to avoid another direct confrontation with him. Now, where might Wheeljack be? She began scouring the city.

The first Autobot she located was that yellow scout, Bumblebee. She had no interest in him, and continued searching. Mirage's warning growl had absolutely nothing to do with her decision, of course.

After a few more teleportations she came across four Autobots. Optimus Prime was one of them. There was no mistaking that one; Prime always did have a regal bearing about him. He was kneeling next to a prone Autobot, with Ultra Magnus right behind him, guarding his back. The fourth Autobot Thunderblast didn't recognize, but the one the ground was Prime's trusted diplomat-turned-medic. He was obviously dead and, judging by the condition of his corpse, it had been quite painful.

_RATCHET!_

Mirage's near-shout made her spark contract. Optimus lifted his head then, a ferocious look crossing his face when he noticed her there. Ultra Magnus reacted more violently, firing his cannon. She escaped an astro-second before the blast would have struck her.

_Primus, would you be more careful!_

_Stop distracting me_! Shaken by the close call, Thunderblast sat down on the roof of a music store she'd teleported to.

_Then stop hunting for Wheeljack, _countered Mirage. _...I can't believe he's dead_...

She closed her optics at the anguish that swept through their bond. The medic's demise was a devastating blow to Mirage, almost as devastating as Tracks' had been. It compelled her to seek to alleviate part of his grief, by recalling finding Shrapnel's corpse.

_What is that?_

_That is what's left of Shrapnel. He was killed during our first visit to this place. _Mirage's confusion grew as he absorbed her revelation.

_But...how? And why are you showing me?_

_He angered Thundercracker. _Thunderblast paused, then added, _As for why...You should know that the last of those sadists is dead. _That was a foolishly weak thing to do. Firmly ignoring Mirage's surprise, tinged with gratitude, she stood and looked about, and spotted something moving, nearly a quarter of a mile down the long street she was at. Whatever it was, it was small. Human-sized. Her spark pulsed faster with renewed hope as she extended the range of her visual scanner.

It was Witwicky!

_**WHAT?**_

Mirage's astonishment matched her own. How did Witwicky travel from Indiana to here in mere cycles? It can't have been Thundercracker; after giving the Autobots the All Spark, she very much doubted he would then go against their wishes concerning the humans. Skywarp, on the other hand, delighted in wreaking havoc. _I shall have to thank the fool._

_Thunderblast! Let him be_! ordered Mirage, just as she teleported to Witwicky's location and plucked him up.

The Witwicky boy yelled and wriggled in her hand. The it fell silent when it saw who had grabbed it. _This creature can save us both! _Thunderblast insisted. _You must understand that! _

_**Don't!**__ Enough innocents have been butchered in this Pit-cursed war!_

_Innocents... _She looked down at the frightened human, wavering. Mirage's displeasure was overwhelming. "Lord Megatron would reward me greatly for this boy," Thunderblast said aloud, torn between the Autobot's influence and her fear of Megatron.

"I'm sure he would."

A hand closed around her neck, and the end of a fully-charged cannon pressed against her back. Thunderblast froze in place.

"Put him down. Now!" Sunstreaker menacingly ordered.

The queasy feeling melted away into relief. "You heard him!" Sam boldly gave her wrist joint a solid kick. "Put me down!"

_Let the boy go! _Mirage echoed. _Who else is there with you?_

_One of your Autobot friends_. She slowly lowered her hand to the ground and released Witwicky.

_I can't actually hear what you're hearing! Which Autobot?_

_I don't know!_

Sam had grabbed his chainsaw and made a beeline for Sunstreaker. "**Thank you** for coming back!"

"No, thank _you, _Witwicky," Sunstreaker responded, not taking his optics off Thunderblast. What a stroke of luck this was! He shoved his cannon harder against her when she started to slowly turn around. "Don't move!"

Thunderblast froze again. If she teleported, she'd take that Autobot with her, which would provoke him into firing. Her only other option was to talk her way out of this dilemma. "I surrender."

"Really?" Sunstreaker mocked derisively. "Now why should I believe you?"

"Your Leader would. Optimus Prime would spare me," Thunderblast quickly said, though she wasn't so sure about that claim; she'd never seen Prime look so furious.

"Yes, I know he would."

_What is going on?_ demanded Mirage.

"What the hell are you doing, chatting her up?!" Sam interrupted, glaring daggers at Thunderblast. "That psycho bitch killed Glen!"

"The boy does have a valid point there, and I'm not as noble as Optimus." Sunstreaker tightened his hold on her neck.

"**NO!**" She tried to throw herself forward to break his grip, but the Autobot was too strong. The blast tore through her armor, shattering the spark casing.

"Whoa..." Sam jumped a good foot in the air when Sunstreaker blew a big hole in that monster's back -- and the gold Autobot had a creepy little smile on his face, too. "Uh...Ok.."

_That is a huge favor you owe me, Mirage. _"Are you all right?" he asked Witwicky; the boy was trembling.

"---Ask me that later, when I get out of therapy." Sam quipped, though he was clutching the chainsaw so hard his knuckles ached. _She had it coming, dammit, just like Sixshot did._

_Therapy? _Sunstreaker shrugged and strode away down the street. "Let's go. We still have a drone to find," he called back to Witwicky, using a harsh tone to snap the boy out of the stupor he seemed to have fallen into.

"Uh-huh. Sure." Sam started up the chainsaw, just in case, and took a closer look at Thunderblast. Reassuring himself that she was _very _dead, he hurried off to catch up with Sunstreaker.

* * *

_She has to be the most obstinate, aggravating Femme the All Spark ever created!_Mirage decided, turning invisible and storming down the street after Thunderblast vanished. Her intense disappointment over not finding Samuel Witwicky did improve his mood somewhat, though. _You assumed that Witwicky and his friends would still be there? They didn't strike me as the type to just stand about and await our return._

Thunderblast growled at him. _Clever Autobot, letting me chase shadows_.

_Of course, _he readily admitted. Maybe that will convince her to give up on her insane plan.

_Now stop being difficult and come back here._

_---why?_

Mirage rolled his optics at her wary response. _Ignoring our bond won't make it disappear. Besides, there's really nowhere else you can go. You must realize that_.

She was quiet for half a cycle. _I must find that boy! Lord Megatron will kill us both if I don't bring it to him._

_You're still convinced he'll win, even without the Cube? _Primus, obstinate didn't even begin to describe Thunderblast. Or maybe it was fear that drove her.

_I know him...more than I ever wanted to. Megatron will never give up, and your Leader is too much of a weakling-- _

He angrily cut her off. _Optimus Prime is not weak!_

_Do you truly believe that Prime will defeat Megatron?_ Thunderblast asked, at length.

_Absolutely_! _Megatron will __**never**__ have the Cube!_

_Primus, would you leave me alone?!_

He could sense that she was starting to doubt Megatron's supposed invincibility, and wasn't about to let up now. _I don't think I will, not that I could, anyway. Now are you coming back here or not? _

_I--don't know. _

_There's really no where else you could go, is there? _Mirage inquired, almost smiling to himself at her confusion. _The other Decepticons will reject you, as they've always done, if they don't kill you outright._

_That is no concern of yours, _Thunderblast angrily replied.

_Unfortunately, everything is my concern, now that we're bonded,_ he dryly stated the obvious.

_And you're just ecstatic about it._

What was that bit of sarcasm about? Did she think he'd be pleased at being bonded to a renegade Femme? _Indeed, because you have such an amazingly charming disposition. _Thunderblast gave no response to that_,_ so he continued, _This is a new experience, for both of us, and will take some time getting used to._

Now she was angry again. Primus, her constant mood changes were going to make him dizzy. Cross a large empty parking lot, Mirage's attention was drawn to something flying above a grove of trees. It was Ratbat, which meant that Soundwave must be nearby, somewhere. This was a remarkable stroke of luck. Mirage changed direction and headed that way.

-- She actually believes she can capture Wheeljack? Bemused, Mirage couldn't resist mocking her delusion.

_We'll see, _Thunderblast said in answer to his taunting.

She _would _take that as a challenge. Well, Thunderblast has a nasty surprise in store for her if she goes hunting for Wheeljack. And she was. He could sense that she was closer, no more than five miles away, but determined to avoid him.

Mirage debated over whether to continue on, or look for Thunderblast out of pique over being ignored. As much as the former appealed to him personally, taking down Megatron's invaluable Communication's Officer was the rational choice. A couple cycles later he came to a break in the trees. There was Soundwave, approximately one hundred yards to his left. The Decepticon was sitting beside a large oak tree, and had obviously been in a hard-fought battle.

There were over a dozen rows of various-sized tablets between Mirage and his enemy. It was a cemetery, where the humans typically buried their dead. How ironic that a Decepticon would choose this particular stretch of land to take cover in.

The recent rainstorm made the ground soft, muffling his footsteps, so all he had to do was avoid bumping any of those stone markers. Mirage stepped around a statue, and stopped abruptly. That Femme had found a group of Autobots. Wheeljack wasn't among them, but Prime was, and her blatant attraction to him irritated Mirage. He was about to snipe at Thunderblast when her attention shifted to another Autobot, one that was dead, according to her indifferent observation. It was---

_RATCHET!_

Staggered by the Chief Medical Officer's death, Mirage accidentally scraped his foot against a headstone. Soundwave's head turned sharply in his direction. _Primus.. _He edged away from the marker. It was difficult to stay completely still; there was a burst of fear from Thunderblast, and got the distinct impression of cannonfire. Apparently she'd let Optimus and the other Autobots see her. _W__ould you be more careful! _he berated her. If she's killed, how would it affect him? He did** not** want to find out!

_Stop distracting me!_

_Then stop hunting for Wheeljack._ He crouched down as Soundwave sent two drones to investigate the noise, and created the illusion of a squirrel scampering across a few of the graves to misdirect them. _...I can't believe he's dead_... Mirage thought, despondent, and received another surprise. Was that genuine sympathy he sensed from her? It hardly seemed possible, but then she sent him a baffling image. _What is that?_ he asked, unable to identify the lump of twisted metal.

_That is what's left of Shrapnel. He was killed during our first visit to this place. _

Shrapnel.. Mirage remembered that Decepticon well, and that demented laugh of his. Bewildered, he didn't know how to respond to Thunderblast at first. _But...how? And why are you showing me?_

_He angered Thundercracker. _Thunderblast paused, then added, _As for why...You should know that the last of those sadists is dead. _

His first assumption was that it was some sort of trick, but that made no sense at all. Could it be the Femme wasn't completely corrupted and beyond redemption?_ I--- Thank you,_Mirage said, trying hard to discern what Thunderblast was feeling, besides disgust with herself for showing weakness. There was some amount of regret there. Both emotions were suddenly replaced with a flood of triumph. She'd found Witwicky!? _**WHAT IS HE DOING HERE? **_

Thunderblast was equally astounded to see that boy in Washington, and wasted no time snaring him. _Thunderblast! Let him be!_ Mirage ordered her, his optics narrowing angrily at her gloating. How did that boy travel all this way in a matter of cycles? _If this is Skywarp's doing, he will pay dearly for it!_

_This creature can save us both! You must understand that!_

**Why **did she cling so doggedly to her belief that Megatron will win? Mirage hastily began to retrace his steps back to the trees. Soundwave can wait. He had to stop her from taking Witwicky to Megatron! _**Don't**__! Enough innocents have been butchered in this Pit-cursed war!_

His entreaty actually seemed to have some affect on her; he could feel her conviction falter. But before he could say more to sway her into releasing Witwicky, he felt a surge of fear from Thunderblast. Someone was threatening her. Witwicky wasn't alone after all.

It couldn't be Jazz; he wouldn't let his human roam about loose in a city full of Decepticons.

_Let the boy go! _Mirage urged Thunderblast, alarmed by the very dangerous situation she was now in. _Who else is there with you?_

_Who do you think?! _she answered, her voice stressed with trepidation. _It's one of your Autobot friends._

_I can't actually hear what you're hearing!_ Frustrated by the limitations of their newly-formed bond, Mirage quickened his pace, heedless of the tree branches he brushed past. _Which Autobot?_

_I don't know!_

Mirage quickly reviewed everything he knew of his fellow Autobots. Who among them had never encountered her before? It wasn't something that had ever come up in casual conversations. Whoever it is would not believe Thunderblast if she were to reveal that they've bonded. She knew that just as he did.

Thunderblast was on the verge of panicking now, and he reached out, willing her to stay calm. Her fear abated somewhat, and he hoped to get more information now so he could intervene. _What is going on? _

There was a brief flash of anger toward the Witwicky boy, then an even stronger surge of fear followed by an explosion of agony.

"**AHH!**" Mirage cried out. It felt like his spark was being ripped out of his body. He crumpled to the ground, losing control of his disguise of invisibility. For a long moment all he could do was lie there, fingers digging into the damp earth. _Primus...She'd dead! He killed her!_

The pain gradually faded to a throbbing, hollow ache, but it still took a huge effort to force his limbs to function. Mirage started to rise when something large and heavy pushed him back down to the ground.

//_Ratbat, Laserbeak,_// Soundwave called them to him as he brought his foot down on the fallen Autobot.

Mirage made himself invisible again on reflex, but knew that that wasn't going to save him. Not this time. If Thunderblast had just listened! He let go of the illusion, routing the extra power to his weapons.

"You caught an Autobot!" Ratbat chirred excitedly.

"Yes, but there may be more coming." Soundwave took his foot off the Autobot and picked him up. "We cannot stay here any longer."

Barely able to move -- Soundwave's grip was like a vise -- Mirage forced himself to go limp, and wait.

Ratbat landed in his shoulder and peered down at the blue and white Autobot. "Dead?"

"Not yet." Soundwave examined the Autobot. There were no physical injuries, but something had caused him to scream and collapse. Ahh. A scan revealed a weakened spark, pulsing erratically. There was only one explanation for this. "What is your designation, and who were you bonded to?"

"Go rust!" was Mirage's defiant reply. Soundwave wouldn't expect him to willingly tell him anything.

"It does not matter," decided Soundwave, partly because he did not have the energy to spare to forcefully extract information.

"He's yours," Soundwave told Laserbeak and Ratbat. They needed to vent their grief and rage over Buzzsaw's death, and the Autobot was a convenient outlet for that.

"...rmph..." Mirage grunted when he was dropped onto a tree, the broken stump jabbing into his side. Now that he had the chance to use it, he immediately charged his rifle. Flipping over onto his back, Mirage drew his rifle, taking aim at the jagged hole in Soundwave's left side. Just the right angle, and the darts should puncture his spark chamber.

"Look out!" Ratbat shrilled, and dove down to block the shots.

"Ratbat!" Soundwave caught him as he fell.

_That Pit-spawned drone! _Mirage fired several more times, but the opportunity was gone. The darts struck Soundwave in the arm. The other drone dived at him, clawing at his rifle. A shot from one of his blasters forced it to retreat, but now Soundwave was looming over him. He kept shooting. _I will __**not **__make this easy for them._

Growling as the darts pierced his armor, Soundwave placed the twitching Ratbat in the designated compartment under his armor, then caught hold of the not-so-helpless Autobot again. "I'll kill you for that!" He wasted no time making good on that promise, crushing his captive with both hands.

He tossed the dead Autobot aside and checked on Ratbat. Where were Ravage and Hook? Ratbat was badly injured, mewling pitifully.

Laserbeak flew up and clung to Soundwave's undamaged arm. "Ratbat?"

"He'll last until Hook finds us," he estimated. "We need to find cover elsewhere, now."

"Yes, yes." Laserbeak held on tightly as Soundwave strode through the trees and out onto a street. "Over there?" he suggested, pointing a wingtip to a tall building a few blocks away.

Soundwave surveyed the structure. It's roof had collapsed, the walls blackened from fire, but it would serve his purpose. "That will do. Thank you, Laserbeak."

"Welcome." Pressing his head against Soundwave's chest, Laserbeak hummed with worry over Ratbat.

"He'll be all right." Soundwave assured him, resting a hand on his back. Once inside, he glanced around, surveying the large room. There were at least one hundred broken and overturned wooden chairs, and a wide walkway running through the middle of them

Humans came to places such as this to worship. Primus willing, it will provide them with a safe refuge. He retrieved Ratbat, who was now offline, and repaired what he could while waiting for Hook.

"Who hurt Ratbat?!"

Soundwave and Laserbeak turned to see Frenzy charging down the aisle towards them; he was alone. "Did you and Ravage find Hook?"

"Hook will come when done with Sixshot." Frenzy repeated his question. "Who hurt Ratbat?"

"An Autobot who is now dead," Soundwave informed him. The sound of jet engines drew their attention. It was the Youngling Seekers, and one of them appeared to be struggling to fly. "Laserbeak, tell them that Hook will be here shortly, if they need repairs."

Laserbeak bobbed his head and relayed the message. The squadron swung back around and descended.

'Barricade' was the wounded Seeker. Frenzy watched him transform and set down awkwardly. 'Barricade' limped into the building. His left hip joint was severely dented and scorched black. A plan formed.

"I can help you," Frenzy announced, moving closer to the impostor. "I helped first Barricade sometimes when he was hurt."

Barricade blinked down at the small Decepticon, surprise by the offer, since Frenzy had previously been hostile to him. "Is that true?" he inquired, turning to Soundwave.

Soundwave regarded Frenzy for a moment. There was but one inevitable conclusion to this vendetta against the new Seeker. "Yes, it is. Frenzy came to this world with Barricade, and was devoted to helping him find the All Spark." Frenzy's optics glowed brightly at his compliance. "The rest of you find Megatron, and ensure that the other Autobots do not interfere on Prime's behalf," Soundwave told the other Seekers, so no one will witness what Frenzy was about to do.

"Yes, Soundwave," they responded, transforming and flying off.

Barricade considered it. Lord Megatron trusted Soundwave, so he had no reason to do otherwise. "If you can repair me, then do so," he told the drone, and knelt down.

Chortling silently to himself, Frenzy slipped under the armor covering the imposter's hip joint. And didn't stop there. He clawed past cables and gears that blocked his path to his real goal, the spark casing.

"What are you **doing**?!" Barricade leaped to his feet, pulling apart two plates to try to yank that drone out.

_"_Noooo!" screeched Frenzy when the impostor caught hold of his legs.

Two shots from Soundwave's blaster knocked Barricade down onto his back. He stared up at the elder Decepticon, bewildered, and convulsing in pain. The drone had reached his spark chamber. "WHY?"

"Not Barricade!" Frenzy hissed, ripping apart the casing.

"Because I value him far more than you," was Soundwave's only explanation. The Youngling would not understand Frenzy's vendetta against him. _This could all have been avoided if Megatron had just given him a new designation, _he thought with a flash of ire toward his Leader's callousness. The first Barricade was a loyal soldier, and deserved some measure of respect.

Frenzy crawled back out, looking extremely satisfied.

"Lord Megatron will terminate us all," Laserbeak quavered, stunned that Frenzy murdered a fellow Decepticon, and that Soundwave allowed him to.

"That's true enough," Hook spoke from the pile of rubble that was the back wall of the Cathedral. A wide-opticked Ravage was crouched next to him.

Soundwave immediately leveled his blaster at the medic. "You should have taken your time repairing Sixshot," he told him in a strained monotone.

"Lord Megatron ordered me to use him for spare parts." Hooked waved a dismissive hand.

"Now put away your weapon."

"--you won't tell others?" Ravage looked hopefully up at him.

Hook gazed steadily at Soundwave. "I helped you build bodies for your small friends, after your Companion was lost, and helped you bring them all before the All Spark to be given life. Or have you forgotten that?"

_He did? _Ravage's ears perked up with interest.

"No..." Soundwave said slowly. "That was long ago. Much has happened since then."

"You think I'd sacrifice them for the sake of this inferior creation?" Hook was insulted. "He's not even worth salvaging for parts. Lord Megatron will not learn of this from me."

Laserbeak blinked rapidly in surprise. "Why help us?"

"I assumed that your loyalty is to Megatron," added Soundwave.

"It is, to a certain extent," Hook told them. "Once the All Spark has been recovered, I shall leave the Decepticons."

"Leave?" Soundwave repeated, astonished by his decision. "Why?"

"Because of that." Irritated by his colleague's obtuseness, Hook gave the Seeker's corpse a sharp tap with his foot. "Most of my team is now dead -- only Scrapper and Scavenger have survived, so far -- and I don't believe Lord Megatron can be prevailed upon to resurrect them. As was the case with the real Barricade," he added with a nod to Frenzy. "His plan is to create the largest army the universe has ever seen; he'll therefore have no further use for me."

Soundwave could not deny the truth of that blunt assessment. "Where will you go?"

"I'll search the galaxies until I find a world with a fairly advanced race, one that is far from Cybertron. Scrapper and Scavenger may even choose to join me there."

"I know of two, from my own travels; I'm certain they'll greatly appreciate your talent," Soundwave commented. Hook looked pleased, but then he always did have an substantial ego.

Ravage looked dolefully up at the medic. "You won't come back?"

Hook cocked his head at the drone's peculiar expression. "Unfortunately, no. Lord Megatron won't forgive my defection, whether I'm needed or not."

"If it ever is safe for you to return home, I will send word," Soundwave promised the medic.

"I doubt it will be, but thank you." Hook pulled out various tools. _My last two Cybertronian patients, _he reflected when, at Soundwave's insistence, he began mending Ratbat first.

* * *

Ultra Magnus cursed when the evil Femme vanished. "Almost got her!"

"Thunderblast will be dealt with later." Optimus scanned the sky. There were a few jets in the distance, Seekers, but Megatron was not with them. Yet. _I'll know soon enough what he's planning... _He sank to one knee and rested a hand on Ratchet's chest, covering the empty spark chamber.

Warpath hobbled over to them. "Optimus?"

"Sometimes I wonder how different everything would be if I'd made more effort to reason with him." He wearily thought of all who'd died during the war.

"There is no reasoning with Megatron," stated Ultra Magnus, also tracking the Seekers. "He'll never be satisfied with anything less than complete domination over us all, and would always see you as an obstacle to that."

"I know." He nodded, but that did not make what had to be done any easier.

Ultra Magnus tensed. Those Seeker dove down, approximately three miles away. "They must have found one of us."

Optimus stood, praying that Prowl and the other Autobots were still in groups, and haven't been scattered throughout this city. The Seekers may be lacking in genuine battle experience, but they'll have inherited Megatron's brutal nature. He swung around, hearing the sound of another, louder engine from the opposite direction. Megatron.

Flying low, Megatron abuptly landed as well, just six blocks away. _He's using the what was left of the city's skyscrapers to mask which direction he'll come from. _//_Hiding? Such cowardice is not like you, 'brother',_// Optimus used the Decepticon link Thundercracker had given him to goad Megatron into revealing himself.

//_Cowardice?_// he snarled. //_Tell me, are you still lamenting the death of your precious Ratchet'_?//

Optimus refused to let on how much that jibe pained him. //_He will be brought back with the Cube, along with everyone else you've killed._//

//_**Never!**_ _You and your kind are __**finished**__!_//

_My kind.. There was a time when we all were not so different. _Optimus firmly dispelled the melancholy that thought gave him. Megatron was very close now; he could feel it.

"Prime!" Ultra Magnus warned, pointing west. The Seekers, minus one, had taken to the air again, speeding toward them. They were within two blocks when they dropped out of sight again.

_So that's where Megatron is now._ He drew his ion blaster, glancing briefly at his friends. There was a chance the Seekers will attack with or without orders from Megatron - Younglings can be very impulsive. He sent out an unobtrusive signal, calling all available Autobots to him as a precaution.

"We're ready," declared Warpath; both he and Ultra Magnus had their cannons charged. The Decepticons had spread out to encircle them, and were making no effort to silence their footsteps.

Ironhide was the first to answer the summons. //_I'm on my way, Prime, with Arcee, Grapple and Huffer. Hoist is repairing Prowl. His logic center overloaded when--_//

//_Please hurry_,// Optimus broke in, hastily giving Ironhide his coordinates before severing the link. Megatron had chosen that moment to stalk out of an alleyway directly to his left, and the Seekers simultaneously emerged from between various tall buildings. Whatever had befallen his Second Lieutenant would have to remain a mystery for now.

"Stop!" Megatron commanded his minions when they started to close in on the other Autobots. "I want those two to die slowly, while Prime watches!"

//_Do not engage him,_// Optimus told an affronted Warpath, and gestured for him and Ultra Magnus to move back when Megatron came toward more Decepticons, Scavenger and Scrapper, appeared out the same alley. He resolutely faced his brother. "Are your processors malfunctioning? Nothing you do will compel me to give up the All Spark." He didn't wait for more threats, and fired.

The missile struck Megatron in the chest and sent him skidding a few yards. Deep trenches were gouged in the pavement as he regained his footing, then rushed Prime.

Optimus got off another shot, damaging Megatron's right arm, before leaping forward to meet his charge. They slammed into each other with armor-denting force.

"**Tell me **where it's hidden!" Megatron raked his claws down Optimus' chest. A powerful blow to the face repelled him, but only for a moment. Wielding his mace now, he swung the spiked weapon at Prime, forcing him back this time.

"Kill the filthy Autobot!" hissed the Seeker behind Ultra Magnus. He spun around, ready to forcefully remove the offender's vocals when something odd happened. All of the Seekers shuddered violently as they felt Barricade die, and reacted to it, leaping onto the Autobots in front of them.

Fear lanced through Optimus' spark. Ultra Magnus was able to throw off one of his attackers, but Warpath had crumpled under the Seekers' greater size and weight.

"I told you to _**wait**_!" Megatron was also distracted by the fights, and furious. _How dare they disobey me!_

"Barricade is dead!" Heedless of the rebuke, the Seeker jumped up and launched himself at the Autobot again.

"It seems you can_not _control your spawn," Optimus remarked in a withering tone, drawing Megatron's attention back to him.

Megatron growled, baring sharp teeth, and went after Prime again. It was time to give his _dear _brother a little surprise.

Drawing his sword, Optimus cleaved the mace in half and stood his ground when Megatron closed with him. Instead of ripping with his claws again, Megatron stopped short, raising his left arm. An unfamiliar weapon sprang up, and a large gout of plasma erupted from it. The plasma struck his face and melted the protective mask, and damaged both optics. Optimus stumbled back, groaning and shaking his head.

"PRIME!"

Ironhide was at his side an instant later. "Help them.." Optimus waved him off to Warpath and Ultra Magnus.

_Always the sentimental fool. _Megatron tried to fire another stream of plasma at his brother. As Hook had warned, Shortround's blaster was no longer functional. Useless. He ripped it out of his arm and discarded it.

"Get off him!" Ironhide blasted away at the Seekers, the shots knocking them off Warpath, while Huffer and Arcee went to Ultra Magnus' aid. //_Optimus! Star---Oof!_// Ironhide grunted, his attempt to warn Optimus about Starscream cut off when the largest of the Seekers jumped him. They landed in a heap of flailing limbs, and no sooner did he pin that Seeker down than a second one landed on his back.

"Piece of scrap!" On his feet again, Warpath seized the Decepticon by the wings and yanked it away from Ironhide.

A trio of well-placed blasts from Huffer's cannon terminated the Seeker that Warpath was grappling with.

//_You're hurt, Ironhide!_// exclaimed Arcee, worried for her old mentor, somersaulting out of the path of a missile.

//_Not too bad. I'll live - unlike this slagger_,// Ironhide told her as he struggled to subdue the thrashing Seeker underneath him.

Disregarding the other battles raging on, Megatron clapped his arms together to form his fusion cannon and fired at Prime.

The shot caught Optimus in the shoulder. He was spun around, almost colliding with Warpath.

"Sir?!" Warpath steadied his Leader, horrified by the wound. Where had that plasma weapon come from? Megatron did not have one in his arsenal back on Cybertron. _He was up to something, just as we'd suspected!_

"I'm....all right.." Optimus gently but firmly pushed the loyal soldier away, relying on external sensors to pinpoint his foe.

Megatron was quick to take advantage of the lapse and renewed his attack, claws scoring his brother's marred face.

Rather than shutting down his receptors, Optimus embraced the pain in order to stay focused. Unsheathing both of his swords, he slashed at Megatron. Chunks of metal flew, along with half of a forearm.

"_**AHRR**_!" Surprised by the sudden burst of aggression, Megatron fell back, viciously kicking Scavanger when the smaller Decepticon got too close for his liking.

Optimus went after him, carving a piece of armor off his back. Megatron reacted with his usual vitriol.

"I'll rip that boy _apart _when we catch him!" he swore, and fired more blasts that staggered Prime. A flash of bright grey, caught by his peripheral vision, startled Megatron. He spun around to face the two Seekers who'd unexpectedly appeared. It was that treacherous cretin, Skywarp, and with him was---- "**YOU?!?**"

_We're all __**definitely **__doomed now, _was Huffer's dire conclusion.

Ordering Skywarp to bring Thundercracker here next, Starscream surveyed the battles before him; the lesser Autobots were preoccupied with those new Seekers he'd been told of. Prime's upper body was blackened by powerful ion shots, his face even more marred. Megatron, on the other hand...besides missing half of an arm, and a few sections of armor which were already regenerating, he looked to be far less damaged than Wheeljack had predicted. He stifled the dual urges to cringe and flee. _I will __**not **give up now, no matter what happens! "__Lord_ Megatron," he greeted with the shallowest of bows. "I've brought you a _gift._"

"A gift?" Megatron repeated, overlooking his former Second's insolent manner, for now. _The All Spark! _he assumed, exultant. "Give it to me!!"

"Of course, _Lord _Megatron. Right away, _Lord _Megatron." Removing said gift from inside his chest, Starscream tossed it to him.

Megatron took a half-step back as the object bounced along the ground, rolling to a stop at his feet. His mouth falling open in recognition, he gaped in disbelief at Shockwave's head.


	30. Chapter 30

* * *

A/N. Sorry for the long delay. I'd gotten a little sidetracked by the flesh_and_steel livejournal. *Points finger at Caz* :p

Hope this chapter turned out ok....

Warning: Contains character death.

* * *

_Starscream's alive?!_ _That is what Ironhide tried to tell me_. Optimus' spark skipped a pulse in dread._ I should have known Thundercracker was deceiving us!!_ He grimly readied himself to fight both Decepticons. At least Broadside and the Cube were still safely hidden. That was one hope to cling to.

"I"LL KILL YOU!" In a rage, Megatron fired another shot at Prime, aiming for the legs to cripple him, before going after Starscream.

Optimus narrowly dodged the blast. It grazed his left leg, searing the faded blue armor.　

Starscream did not turn and flee as Megatron expected him to. _This misplaced bravery won't save you, _he silently vowed.

_What in the---_ Optimus blinked several times in confusion as the blurry gray shapes of the two Decepticons clashed. It seemed that Starscream had finally had enough abuse from Megatron. How long this insurrection might last was anyone's guess, though. He heard the grating sound of metal being rent as those two slashed at each other with razor-sharp fingers.

The appearance of Starscream, and Megatron's subsequent attack on him, did not go unnoticed by the newly-sparked Seekers. They broke away from their own battles and started toward the new threat.

"I need no help with this fool!" Megatron harshly told them, using his greater weight to try to pin his slippery former Second down. "Deal with the Autobots!"

"Arrogant slag!" Starscream twisted about to rake Megatron's back.

"Hnr.." Grunting as the juncture where his wings retracted was gouged, Megatron contemptuously flung Starscream away from him. Sparks flew as Starscream landed, skidding across pavement.

Optimus tore his gaze away from the battle. Two Decepticons were coming toward him. A Seeker and Scrapper, judging by the their gray and orange colors.

Shaking bits of concrete out of his armor, Starscream was immediately pounced on again by Megatron.

"I'll take your head, just as you took Shockwave's!" Megatron snarled, tearing at the cables of Starscream's neck. "Now beg for your life! It's all you were ever good for!"

"I **HATE** you!" Starscream wrenched free long enough to half-transform, dug his own fingers into Megatron's frame, and launched himself into the sky.

//_Kill the Femme_!// Scrapper encouraged Scavenger, who'd been moping ever since Shortround died. A good fight should remedy that. The still-maddened Seeker leaped at Prime, and received a sword thrust through the chest for his effort, but it gave Scrapper a chance to get close enough to use his own bladed weapon.

He struck at the center of the Prime's chest. but his arm was grabbed from behind before he could land the blow, and Scrapper was thrown to the ground. _What?_! He was on his feet within astro-seconds. Thundercracker was standing between him and Prime.

"Back away," Thundercracker coolly advised, cannon trained on the Constructicon.

"Lord Megatron will rip out your spark for this!" Scrapper swore, glaring balefully at the Seeker.

"I'm not afraid of him." Thundercracker decided he'd been given enough time to retreat, and fired.

//_Scrapper_!// Scavenger gave up trying to get ahold of the troublesome Femme -- those missile darts of hers stung! There was only one of Megatron's Seekers still alive, but not for much longer fighting both Ironhide and Ultra Magnus. In light of Megatron's impromptu departure, and the now-overwhelming odds against them, he went to help Scrapper escape the melee.

Thundercracker turned around, and found himself staring down the barrel of Optimus' blaster. His optics widened in alarm. "What are you doing?!"

"You told me that Starscream was dead!" Optimus ground out, torn between anger over Thundercracker's lies and the persistent throbbing of his spark.

"He was."

Optimus' head swiveled in Wheeljack's direction, standing next to another of the Seekers, Skywarp. _Wheeljack?? He's responsible for this?_

Wheeljack hastily continued. "I can explain, Sir."

"Later," Optimus said in a stony voice.

"But, Sir--"

"Not. Now."

_What in the Pit is going on?_ Thundercracker wondered, bewildered by the glower Prime had given Wheeljack.

Wheeljack bowed his head and stepped back. Prime was angrier than he'd ever seen him. He wished there was enough energy left in the shard to heal his Leader, and help him calm down enough to listen.

His optics had regenerated enough for Optimus to locate Starscream. He was miles away now and, judging by his erratic flying, he and Megatron were still intent on tearing each other to shreds. He was not inclined to stand about waiting to see which will be victorious. "Skywarp, bring them back here," Optimus requested, testing his recently claimed allegiance to the Autobot cause.

Skywarp's first impulse was to refuse; Prime had threatened Thundercracker, after all.

//_Just do it!_// Thundercracker hastily sent to him, familiar with that belligerent expression.

//_Fine_..// Skywarp huffily agreed, and teleported. As soon as Megatron's dispatched, he was going to find out what Thundercracker was up to. Even if he had to chain his friend down.

_I can kill him!_ Starscream kept repeating to himself, shuddering when a chunk of his back armor was forcibly removed, a frightening reminder of how he'd died. Veering sharply, he went into a dive, turning at the last second to smash Megatron into the side of a building.

"I'll make your termination last a hundred breems," Megatron swore. He had just closed his hand around an even larger section of plating when he was seized from behind. W_hat??_ He whirled around to face the culprit. It was Skywarp! An astro-second later Megatron found himself back on land, surrounded by Autobots, those two traitors, Thundercracker and Skywarp....and dead Decepticons. "No._._"

"Yes," replied Optimus in a flat tone. "You have failed."

"It's not over yet!" Disturbed to hear Ratchet's prediction echoed, Megatron grabbed Starscream by the neck and threw him into Skywarp. //_Soundwave! Come here_!//

Optimus drew both swords as Megatron attacked him. _Predictable as ever, Brother. Your spark chamber could be hanging from your chest and still you'd fight on._

"Get off me!" Skywarp demanded, kicking at Starscream. The blow struck exposed wiring. Starscream reared back and struck him in the face.

"That's enough!" Thundercracker roughly untangled the two. Why did they have to pick now to squabble? Megatron wielded a blade of his own, one with vicious-looking serrates that inflicted a deep gouge down the length of Prime's left arm.

//_You must stay focused_!// Wheeljack exhorted, pulling Starscream away from Skywarp and giving the young Seeker a nudge toward Megatron.

Skywarp was quickly forgotten. "Fight _me,_ not him!" Incensed over being dismissed as if he were a bothersome insect, Starscream charged at Megatron. "Out of my way!" he shouted, slamming a fist into the side of Prime's head when he reached the Autobot Leader. Knocked off balance, Optimus stumbled sideways.

_Wonderful!_ Wheeljack slapped a hand to his head. _You would make things as difficult as possible._ He started toward Optimus, intending to take advantage of the brief lull, only to be confronted by Ironhide.

//_By Primus, what have you done now_?!//

//_You've joined forces with Starscream?_// Optimus stalked up to Wheeljack. //_Why_?//

//_I'm putting an end to this war, by any means necessary_,// he answered Ironhide before looking pointedly at Prime. //_As for Starscream... It is better that he be the one to terminate Megatron, for __**your**__ sake as well as his_.//

_Better??_ Sheer frustration made Optimus' processors whirr at a dizzying rate, Wheeljack's meaning escaping him at the moment. What possessed him to think he could trust Starscream? Did Wheeljack even realize the enormous risk he'd taken in bringing that treacherous Decepticon back to life? And just how did he manage to accomplish that feat?　

//_We'll discuss your actions later._// Optimus avoided Thundercracker's anxious gaze as he turned away to watch the imminent fight between the two Decepticons. Megatron had fallen back a few paces, and now he and Starscream were circling each other.

Surprised by Starscream's unusual tenacity, Megatron wondered if the manner of his execution had driven him insane. Whatever the reason, this newfound bravado was distracting him from Prime. //_Soundwave_!// Again there was no reply. Had the loyal Lieutenant also fallen victim to the Autobots? By the Pit, nothing was going the way he'd anticipated! //_Soundwave! Answer me_!// Finally, he received a response.

//_I am on my way to your location now, Lord Megatron_,// Soundwave tersely acknowledged the order, then, to Megatron's ire, abruptly cut the link between them.

"So eager to die again, are you?" Megatron taunted, his attention more on Prime than Starscream as he modified his vocals to a perfect imitation of Thunderblast's typical drawl.

_He knows!_ Starscream realized, stiffening. Thunderblast would not have divulged her rank as his Second to anyone. Not willingly. All too familiar with how malicious Megatron could be, he had to assume that she was now dead.

Megatron laughed derisively at Starscream's pained expression. "You actually care about that Femme? How pathetic."

"_**Shut up**_!" Starscream howled, and leaped at him. If it was the last thing he did, he would rip that gloating sneer off Megatron's face.

Side-stepping the clumsy attack, Megatron slashed at Starscream's back.　

Starscream nearly toppled over; he'd turned just enough so wound wasn't fatal, but it still hurt like the Pit, and slowed his motor functions. He pretended to nearly fall as he put his plan into motion. Megatron's arrogance and greed were the keys to defeating him. Straightening, he lunged at his enemy again.

_You're an even bigger fool than I thought._ Megatron easily knocked the disgraced Seeker to the ground with a powerful back-handed punch. Stubborn, too. Starscream had started to rise, so Megatron planted a foot on the damaged part of his back. Armor creaked under his weight.

"M-mercy, Lord Megatron!" Starscream forced himself to say, vocals crackling. Megatron had to think he more badly wounded than he really was. Hopefully with greater success than he'd had with Shockwave.　

//_This is ridiculous_,// rumbled Ironhide, glowering at Wheeljack. //_You actually thought that scrap heap had a chance against Megatron_?//

Wheeljack ignored the remarks, optics half-shuttered as he watched Starscream's performance.

"Oh, no. No more mercy for you, Starscream." Megatron pressed his foot down harder. "I am _finished_ with you."

"But...the Cube---" Starscream trailed off in a nearly inaudible voice.

"What?" Megatron lessened the pressure on his back. Could he know where the Cube is hidden? "Speak!"

"--you know that the humans created the new All Spark?"

"Of course!" Did Starscream think him an idiot? Only the fleshlings could be responsible for the small Cube's existence, and he fully intended to find out just how they'd accomplished that feat before wiping out the entire race. "What of it?" Starscream made a wheezing sound, so he took his foot off.

Starscream increased his volume as he declared, "Lord Megatron... Two Cubes were created!" He didn't need to look up to know that Megatron's mouth was hanging open.

"Two?" repeated Megatron, hesitating. The full extent of the humans' tampering had never occurred to him. If this is true, a second All Spark would change everything! But he wasn't about to trust Starscream's word for it. Not without substantial evidence. He studied the Autobots' reactions. All but two appeared confused: Optimus' and Wheeljack's expressions were unreadable. There was something amiss here...

_Impossible! Agent Simmons would have known, and told us_. Optimus spared a quick glance over at Thundercracker, who stared, mystified, at Starscream. He, at least, has no knowledge of this claim.

Skywarp looked from Prime and Wheeljack to Megatron, puzzling it out first, somewhat. "Don't tell him!" he urged Starscream. "He'll kill you anyway!"

"I knew something like this would happen!" bemoaned Huffer, dropping his face in his hands. "The entire universe is doomed!"

"Never!" Warpath burst out, pulling away from Hoist and Arcee, who were attempting to repair his injuries. "He won't have them!"

//_Wait_,// Optimus ordered the soldier after a moment's hesitation, though it grated. Wheeljack had no right to meddle in what should have been a straightforward duel! There were only two options: Reveal the truth, or let this gambit run it's course.

Megatron reached down and grabbed Starscream by the neck again, shaking him. "Tell me where they are!"

//_Sir!_// Warpath beseeched his Leader, barely restraining himself from firing. Starscream had to be silenced!

Ultra Magnus also aimed his cannon at the Seeker. //_Orders, Sir?_//

//_Do nothing, for now,_// Optimus finally decided, reluctantly sheathing his swords and drawing his ion blaster. "Release him, Megatron!"

"I don't think so, _Brother,_" sneered Megatron, prepared to transform and escape with his captive if Prime fires at him. If Starscream was lying... Revolting as it was, a spark-merging with him was the only way to know for certain.

Surprised by the unexpected aid, Starscream was an astro-second slow in reaching behind his back and detaching one of his own wings, a rather uncomfortable upgrade Wheeljack had given him before coming to this place. He almost wasted the perfect opportunity he'd been granted.

Almost.

Belatedly recognizing the danger, Megatron thrust Starscream away from him just as the sharp end of the wing plunged into his chest. "**N**-_**Ahhrr**_!" he roared in pain, and stumbled back, stunned by the disastfrous turn of events. Optimus actually conspired with Starscream?? He'd never expected such deviousness from his brother.

"That is for Ramjet!" Starscream hissed as he clambered to his feet.

Megatron struck him again, but it was a weaker blow; the makeshift spear had pierced his spark chamber. Pulling it out, or attempting to transform, would result in instant death. As it was, he had only a few cycles of life left. White-hot hatred surged through him at that inescapable fact. _I will __**NOT**__ die by this miserable cretin's hands! _He took a couple unsteady steps in Prime's direction, then fell to one knee. "Fi-finish it," he stuttered, making it more of an order than a request, while at the same time opened a link to send explicit instructions to Soundwave. They weren't the only ones practiced at subterfuge.

Optimus stared down at him with utter loathing, images of numerous Autobots that Megatron had butchered replaying in his mind. Both swords sprang from his wrist joints.

"Yesss." Megatron smiled sardonically, guessing Prime's thoughts. "They all died screaming, like your _precious_ Medic." That wasn't entirely true, but his brother needn't know that.

Growling low, he advanced toward Megatron. _'For your_ _sake as well as his',_ Optimus recalled Wheeljack's words, and stopped in his tracks.

"He pleaded for his life," Megatron added, to further incite Prime.

_Fragging liar!_ Ironhide seethed. Ratchet would never beg for anything. //_Optimus,_ _let me at him_!//

"Avenge them!" Megatron said at the same time.

It was a difficult struggle, but he regained some measure of control. "No." Optimus gestured for Ironhide to stand down. With a small nod to a wary-looking Starscream, he forced himself to turn his back on Megatron and walked away. His brother's howl of rage made him flinch.f

"**PRIME**_!_ You've won _nothing_! Do you hear me? **Nothing**! I'll--" His rant was cut short by Starscream.

"Rot in the Pit!" he spat, kicking Megatron over onto his back. Grasping the end of the wing that jutted out, he twisted it, watching with immense satisfaction as Megatron's optics flickered and then went dark.

Optimus closed his optics at the sudden silence, then gathered himself and swung back around.

Wheeljack took advantage of the lull to approach his Leader again. "Optimus,--"

_And __**stay **__there this time! _Starscream gave Megatron's body another solid kick before facing Prime and the other Autobots, trying his best not to sway on his feet. His energy level was dropping steadily, but he couldn't show any weakness in front of the Autobots. "Now that_ that's_ over with, I expect you to honor our agreement," he interrupted Wheeljack.

_Why is it so hard for you to follow advice? _Wheeljack silently wondered, disgruntled with the brash young Seeker.

"Back off." Irked by the imperious tone, Ironhide and Ultra Magnus came forward to flank Optimus.

Pointedly disregarding them, Starscream addressed Prime. "In return for helping defeat Megatron, you have to name me the new Lord High Protector of Cybertron."

"No, I do not_," _Optimus bluntly informed him, "Wheeljack does _not_ have the authority to speak for me."

Starscream stared, dumbfounded, at Prime, feeling his spark shrink a little at the devastating announcement. _No...._

"You mean this was all a trick?" Skywarp exclaimed. "Well done!_"_

Wheeljack tossed Skywarp a disgusted look. Did he have to sound so thrilled? //_I'll handle this, Starscream_.//

//_You lied to me_!// Starscream practically wailed.

//_Calm down and keep quiet for now!_/// Wheeljack snapped when Starscream glanced around wildly. He had to salvage the situation before it completely falls apart. //_Give me a chance to convince Optimus!_//

Every instinct told him to bolt, but most of the Autobots, especially Ironhide, looked ready to use lethal force to stop him. Starscream knew he wouldn't get very far anyway before needing to recharge anyway. He'd never felt so trapped in his entire life, and hated every astrosecond of it. _Great Primus, all I've done has been for nothing!_

"Would someone tell me what is going on?" Thundercracker frowned darkly at Wheeljack, not liking what he'd heard. The scientist actually made that offer to Starscream without Prime's permission?

Ironhide voiced his opinion. "Wheeljack's fritzing, that's what's going on."

"I most certainly am not!"

"Why did you strike a bargain with Starscream?" Optimus spoke aloud now. His Autobots, and Thundercracker, deserved an explanation as much as he did. "You know better than anyone that he cannot be trusted."

"I apologize for not consulting you, Sir." Wheeljack bowed contritely to his Leader. "But Cybertron will need a new Lord Protector."

"A _Decepticon_ Lord Protector?!" growled Arcee.

"A Decepticon who is _not _fanatically devoted to Megatron, and was his own Second-in-Command." he answered, then continued in a persuasive tone. "I'm certain that we've all done things we're not particularly proud of in order to survive. The fact remains that the war is over, and we've won. Choosing one of their own as Lord Protector will make the defeat less humiliating for the Decepticons that remained behind on Cybertron."

"Humiliation's the least they deserve," Warpath heatedly declared.

"The Pit's too good for them," Huffer mumbled in agreement.

Thundercracker laid a restraining hand on Skywarp's arm. //_Don't make this worse,_// he sent, and wondered: Will Optfimus will honor Wheeljack's promise. If he doesn't, then what? Starscream, staring longingly at the sky, didn't seem to be paying much attention to the conversation.

//_....I'll try not to..._// Skywarp sullenly responded, adding an unflattering remark about the Autobots.

_Yes, try to exercise some self-control,_ Wheeljack thought, thankful that someone had influence over Skywarp. Now to see if Optimus was ready to listen. He opened a private link, and for a moment feared that the overture would be rejected. Then Prime allowed it. //_Do you plan to rule Cybertron alone and keep the All Spark for yourself, as Megatron would?_//

Optimus growled, offended by the comparison_._ //_I am __**NOT**__ like my brother_!//

//_No one would blame you, Sir,_// Wheeljack went on, undaunted. //_Those Decepticons were naive fools for believing in Megatron, but do they deserve to die for it_?//

//_I---_// Optimus broke off, looking away. The urge to punish them severely was strong. Uncomfortably so. //_--I cannot overlook the atrocities they've committed._//

//_No, you shouldn't_._ None of them will ever be granted unsupervised access to the All Spark -- which, Primus willing, will resurrect our old friends. If Starscream and the Decepticons don't accept that, and whatever other terms you may insist on, banish them from Cybertron._

His gaze rested briefly on Thundercracker, and some of his anger abated. //_I understand why you've never given up on trying to redeem Starscream, but there is a far better choice than him for Lord Protector_.//

//_Perhaps, but the Decepticons will be curious if you favor Thundercracker,_// Wheeljack replied, noticing the glance. //_He and Skywarp would be in grave danger if they ever find out how you acquired the Cube._//

//_They may already know, if Megatron sent out a warning._// Optimus tried not to sound too worried for Thundercracker's safety.

//_I doubt he did;_ _he'd have been concentrating solely on finding the Cube again,_// Wheeljack assured him. //_Single-mindedness was one of his many flaws._//

//_But it is not one of the Constructicons,_// a worried Optimus remarked. //_Scrapper and Scavenger were injured and fled. They're still here on Earth somewhere._//

//_Starscream can deter those two from telling any other Decepticons of Skywarp and Thundercracker's actions. With both Megatron and Shockwave dead, they'll obey him. He is the most viable choice, Sir._//

Feeling pressured, and resenting it, he took another look at the Autobots, apprehensively awaiting a decision. More than anything right now he wanted Ratchet alive again to offer advice on this latest dilemma. "I will consider your 'suggestion', Wheeljack," Optimus announced, at length, unsure whether to be relieved or concerned by Wheeljack's confidence in his former pupil. Time will tell if it's justified.

"What?" Starscream's head snapped around. "You will??"

"Yes!" The almost desperately hopeful expression on Starscream's face irritated Optimus for some reason. He held up a hand when Ironhide and Warpath started to object.

//_Wheeljack, I'd prefer it if he and Skywarp are elsewhere when Broadside brings us the Cube, as a precaution._//

//_I understand, Sir._//Finally letting himself relax a little, Wheeljack turned to Skywarp. "Take us back to Ramjet, and I'll finish repairing him."

Starscream wanted to insist that the Cube be used to heal Ramjet, but didn't dare anger Prime any further. Not while his fate depended on the Autobot Leader's benevolence. He nodded sharply to Skywarp. "Do as he says."

_That's all I've been doing lately, transporting everyone all across this soggy planet, S_kywarp groused. When did Thundercracker plan take command of the Decepticon army? _He must be waiting until we return to Cybertron. _That made sense; right now, on Earth, the Autobots outnumbered them. _Have to be patient, _he reminded himself as he grasped hold of Starscream and that sly scientist first.f

Ironhide growled, loudly, once those three were gone. "Prime! You can't be serious!"

"--Wheeljack does have a valid point," Optimus answered with a heavy sigh.

"He had no right to put you in this position!" Ultra Magnus was incensed by Wheeljack's rogue behavior.

Arcee's optics flashed with rage. "That murderous fragger isn't fit to lead a salvage unit!"

"You Autobots have killed plenty of Decepticons," Thundercracker argued, feeling obligated to defend Starscream.

"_We_ didn't start the war." Warpath took a step toward the Seeker, hands clenched with the urge to draw his cannons.

"Stop this, all of you!" admonished Optimus. The last thing he needed was another fight breaking out, especially since Skywarp would be back any second. That one's far too the volatile as it is.

"Prime will do what's fair for _everyone._" Thundercracker then crossed his arms and ignored the Autobots.

Grimacing, Optimus rubbed the space between his optics. He did find it encouraging that Thundercracker had said 'Decepticons' rather than 'us', though. As if he did not consider himself one of them anymore.

Skywarp reappeared then and immediately noticed the tension. "If they've threatened you--" he began.

"They didn't," Thundercracker hastily cut him off. "Let's go."

"--all right." Skywarp gave the Autobots a nasty look before teleporting with Thundercracker.

"Good riddance," rumbled Hoist. "We'd better get moving before one of_ them_ returns."

Optimus firmly suppressed the pang in his spark. _No one can ever know... _He walked over to Megatron's body.

"Prime?" Ironhide came up to him.

"It should not have ended this way."

Loose armor rattled as Ironhide shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe so, but I don't feel sorry for him. Megatron got what he deserved."

Optimus shook his head, but did not try to to argue that point with him.

"Soundwave is unaccounted for," Ultra Magnus warned. "We'd better get moving, before he or any other Decepticon shows up."

"I know." Optimus turned away from his dead brother and gave the order. "Roll out." While they transformed, he began contacting the still-missing Autobots.

* * *

"What do we do now?" Laserbeak asked once Soundwave was finished eavesdropping on the Autobots.

"We kill the liars!" Ratbat's body trembled with fury.

"Megatron also lied," Soundwave reminded him in a strained monotone.

Ravage sat down, tilting his head back to look up at tall Decepticon. "We _not _follow our orders?" he hesitantly inquired, sensing that Soundwave was _very _angry.

"I'm not certain." Megatron's duplicity regarding the Cube was reprehensible, and as for Starscream... Soundwave would never forget, or forgive, the way he'd arbitrarily given Ravage to Sixshot.

"We go find Hook?" Ravage tentatively asked, hoping for an affirmative answer.

Soundwave thought long and hard on the matter. In his estimation, the only one truly worthy to lead the Decepticon army was Shockwave, but the brilliant Military Commander was entirely too loyal to Megatron. Personal ambition meant nothing to him.

"Must rally the others!" Frenzy chittered. "Must take back the All Spark!"

"Yes, perhaps, but for now, we shall locate Hook." Plucking Frenzy and Ravage from the ground, Soundwave headed east off at a fast pace, putting more distance between them and the Autobots. Once he was at full strength again, he would decide whether or not to abide by Megatron's final command.


	31. Chapter 31

AN: This chappy was a pain to write at times, but it's finally done. I think it turned out ok...

* * *

"There you are!"

Bumblebee did a double-take. "Sideswipe?! What's happened?"f

The red lamborghini skidded to a stop, opening the door for his passenger.

"Bee!" Mikaela couldn't get out fast enough, and ran toward him. The next thing she knew she was flat on her stomach on the ground. For a moment she just lay there, stunned, then realized what just happened. "No, no_. no_!" She pounded a fist against the muddy ground. _This can't be happening!_

"Mikaela!" Optics wide with alarm, Bumblebee rushed over and, very careful, picked her up.

"Bee.." She gripped one large finger tightly for support. At least she could still move her upper body, but for how long? "We got him, Bee. We killed Sixshot."

"_What?_" Shaken by the danger she'd been placed in, he rounded on Sideswipe accusingly. "Are you insane?!?"

"Skywarp brought the humans, not me. They wanted to help us." Sideswipe transformed and knelt beside the pair.

Bumblebee quivered with fear. "Sam's here, too??"

"He's fine," Sideswipe assured him. "He's with Sunstreaker."

"Oww!" Mikaela gasped as a painful spasm shot up her spine.

Bumblebee curled his hands around her, and made a huge effort to sound confident. "You'll be all right, Mikaela." //_She needs Wheeljack!_// he sent to Sideswipe.

//_I've already tried to reach him, but he's not responding_.//

His own attempt to contact Wheeljack failed miserably. _Is he dead? _Bumblebee wondered, at a loss over what to do now. A hospital, with it's vastly inferior technology, could very well do more harm than good, but what other choice was there?

The two Autobots visibly stiffened up when they received Optimus' summons over an open frequency.

"What is it?" Mikaela looked worriedly up at Bee.

Sideswipe answered her. "Megatron brought other Decepticons to the duel, as expected."

"Oh, no..." she breathed. "Bee, you've got to go help Optimus!"

He held her closer to his chest. "I can't leave you!"

"You also can't defend yourself _and _protect her," pointed out Sideswipe. "If a Decepticon finds you two--"

"I know." Bumblebee looked down at Mikaela, frustrated with his limitations. "I'm taking her to a hospital," he decided.

Mikaela pressed her face against cool metal, feeling sick over turning into a helpless burden. _God, why did this have to happen now?!_

"I'll cover you." Sideswipe paused, listening to another transmission. "Ironhide and Warpath are with him now. Once you're safely on the highway, I'll come back and join up with them!"

Bumblebee handed Mikaela over to him, then changed into his car mode. "Let's roll!"

Gingerly placed the small human in the Camaro, Sideswipe transformed as well, following Bumblebee when he tore off down the street.

_Where are you, Wheeljack?_ Praying that he, and Optimus, are all right, Mikaela closed her eyes and tried her best to relax, but it was no use. Will this nightmare ever end?

* * *

"Oh, man..." Sam hung back, giving Sunstreaker plenty of space after they'd come across Mirage; he looked ready to to tear someone apart. "---Who could've done this?"

"Soundwave!" Sunstreaker's vocals cracked with fury as he crouched next to Mirage's crushed body. Only Soundwave was physically strong enough to inflict that much damage. "I'll kill him!"

"Hell,_ yeah_! Let's go find that piece of shit!"

The boy's scathing insult to Soundwave almost brought a smile to his face. "You stay out of sight, and be careful! Don't let any drones sneak up on you."

"Yes, Sir!" Sam started to salute, but caught himself. That would've been embarrassing. But Sunstreaker did sound just like a Drill Sergeant!

_Quiet as a mouse...be quiet as a mouse... _Sneaking in and out of damaged buildings,

Sam followed Sunstreaker, and almost gasped when the golden Autobot broke stride, one large foot clipping the front of a burned-out taxi. He looked all around for any sign of Decepticons before loudly whispering. "What happened?!?"

"I'm going to Optimus," Sunstreaker replied without elaborating as he changed direction, heading West now. Soundwave would have to wait, unless he was one of the Decepticons with Megatron. There wasn't much chance of that; his tracks had gone in the opposite direction. _Primus blast him! _Sunstreaker abruptly stopped, realizing that Sam was still following him. "Not _you. _Find someplace to hide. I'll be back shortly."

"No way!" Sam stuck his chin in the air. "I'm coming with you."

"And risk Megatron getting his hands on you. Prime would be very upset to see his favorite human ripped apart."

Sam paled at that icky visual. "Hey, I wouldn't like it much, either!" Swallowing, he ordered his stomach to knock off the flip-flops. "I thought I could, you know, distract Megatron?" he lamely suggested. Sunstreaker gave him a stern, implacable look. "....maybe that's a bad idea."

"Actually, it's one of the worst ideas I've ever heard," Sunstreaker candidly remarked.

"Ok, ok! You don't have to rub it in. I'll go hide, like a good little human."

"Yes, do that. Thank you."

_Gonna pat me on the head now? _Sam thought, irked by the condescending tone. But Sunstreaker was already walking off without a backwards glance at him.

Sam kicked a chunk of brick out of his way as he looked for a building that was reasonably intact. After a couple blocks he found one. A library, not too badly trashed. The roof had a hole in it, and the front walls still stood. Hopefully the back walls were okay, too. It probably even had a basement, which was even better.

The first thing he did when he got inside was find a water fountain. It still worked, but the water came out brown. _Ew. Pipe must've been broken._ Sam set his chainsaw on a chair and looked through the library for another way to quench his thirst. _A-ha! _There were vending machines in one of the back rooms. The power was out in the building -- not that he had any more money on him to buy stuff -- so Sam used a chair to break them open and snagged a bottle of Coca-Cola, along with a couple bags of chips. Now to find that basement.

Taking a swig of Coke, he started back to the main section when it suddenly got darker. _Oh, shit... _Sam slowly looked up. The bottle and chips fell to the floor. There was a Decepticon watching him through the hole in the roof. ..._what I get for listening to my stomach... _"----Hi?"

"Your species is a _severe _disappointment. Completely inept!"

"Uh.... Say what?" uttered a baffled Sam.

Hook continued venting his grievances at the Witwicky boy. "To have some small -- _very_ small -- inkling of our technology, only to utilize it in so clumsy a manner? It's a wonder you've survived this long!"

For a moment Sam had no clue how to respond to that. "Hey, we're still learning, ok?!"

"That is an absurd excuse!" Hook puffed up in righteous indignation. "Your so-called scientists fail to understand a fraction of what they've gleaned from Megatron when he was held prisoner. Why, you can barely travel to your own moon!"

_Huh? He just wants to yell at me?_ Spotting the door to the stairwell, he started to inch toward it, then reconsidered. Trying to hide now would probably make the Decepticon even angrier. "Whatever! Look, I'm not getting into a debate with you over space travel."

"Of course you won't. You haven't the intellectual capacity for that." Hook make a scornful sound. "I shall be glad to never see this world again."

Sam threw his hands up in frustration. "Then go! Just blow off Megatron and leave!"

"I fully intend to, whether he defeats Optimus or not."

"Fine! We don't want you here, anyway!"

"Mind your manners, fleshling," Hook warned, one fist raised and ready to demolish the roof above Witwicky.

"Okoksorry!" Sam said in a rush, taking a few more steps toward the stairway door. "I..um.. Hope you have a nice trip home!"

"Hrmph." Cybertron was the last world he'd go to, but the human certainly didn't need to know that. Growing weary of conversing with the inferior being, Hook strode away.

"Um...is that it?" Sam stared up at the roof's hole for a long moment, but the Decepticon didn't come back_. What a weirdo! _He grabbed the chainsaw andran for the door, making sure the coast was clear of any other crazy Cons before going in search of another good hiding place.

As he trudged down the street, Sunstreaker's words came back to him. _'Prime's favorite human'? He made me sound like a pet or something! _Sam resolved to set Sunstreaker straight the next time he sees him.

* * *

Both of his passengers were in bad shape. Simmons remained unconscious, and showed no signs of coming to any time soon, no matter how hard Jazz tried to wake him. Will was out of it, too, and shivering. A scan of his vitals revealed a high temperature, which meant he had some kind of nasty infection.

"We're almost there, guys," Jazz said aloud, though he knew they probably didn't hear him.

"Sa---Sarah..." mumbled Will, head tossing from side to side.

His wife's name, Jazz knew. "She ain't here right now, Captain." He turned the radio on to a classical station, hoping some soft music'll help keep Will calm. It seemed to work; Will settled into a deep sleep. Or a coma. _Okay, don't start gettin' all negative now, _Jazz chided himself. Baltimore was just nine more miles. The hospital there was big and top-rate -- the doctors there'll be able to fix Lennox and Simmons. He'd rerouted power from his weapons systems to give his speed a huge boost. That earned him honks from drivers as he tore past them, as well as a short-lived chase by two police cars who didn't have a prayer of catching him. _Should probably apologize to 'em later,_ he thought, idly wondering just how fast he was going by human standards.

Two helicopters were circing high above when Jazz slowed and veered onto the exit, threading his way through traffic along the way to the hospital. Pulling up to the ambulance parking bay, he honked repeatedly until two nurses and a security guard came rushing out. Jazz gave sparse answers to their questions, explaining the men's wounds without mentioning the Decepticons. Will and Simmons were layed out on stretchers and whisked away to an emergency room. Leery of sending his holoform into the hospital to keep track of their conditions, Jazz parked himself in a slot reserved for visitors. This time rerouting power to his audio receptors, he tried to listen in on the conversations going on inside the building, but there was too much interference_. Probably all those scanning machines_, Jazz concluded, giving up.

A pair of black SUVs showed up, parked in the visitors sections, and then just sat there. Whoever was inside was watching him, Jazz could tell. Annyed by them, and frustrated that there wasn't anything else he could do here, Jazz left the hospital. He took a zig-zag routh through Baltimore, in case he was being followed, before heading back to D.C..

After another six minutes of dodging human travellers and outrunning police, he received the comm he'd been hoping for.

//_Report,_ _Jazz._//

//_Optimus!_ _Damn, it's good to hear your voice. What's the word?_//

//_The word is: Megatron is dead, again._//

//_**Yes**__!! I knew you'd beat that fragger down._//

//_Jazz, I--_//_I_ Prime stopped short, then continued, //_How are Simmons and Lennox_?//

//_They're hanging in there. I took 'em to a hospital. That Hopkins one._//

//_Good. We'll regroup at the FedEx Field Stadium, as planned. If you should happen to come across any Decepticons, just.... Do not engage them, unless they're threatening humans._//

//_Okay...Guess I can try to ignore them, long as they behave themselves.._. _There a problem_?// asked Jazz. Something was bothering his Leader.

_I'll explain what's happened to you soon, in person. Please tell Broadside where to meet us._//

//_Will do!_/ trilled Jazz, elated over having his request to be the one to call Broadside back granted. //_Still think that's an aft-ugly name, though._//

//_Yes, you've made your opinion clear, Jazz,_// Optimus answered with a small chuckle, then continued in a somber voice. //_Ratchet must be resparked, as soon as possible._//

//_I'll tell 'Side to hurry_. _See ya at FedDexFee_.//

//_We'll be waiting._// And with that Prime ended the transmission

Jazz passed yet another highway patrol car as he opened a secure link to Broadside.

//_Hey, buddy._//

//_Hello, Jazz,_// Broadside said, his tone guarded. //_I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon._//

//_I've got great news_!// He quickly recited the special message he'd come up with himself for the occasion. //_The Evil Con is dead, and we're all goin' to Disneyland._//

//_**Thank you, Primus!**_//

//_Whoa! Dial it down!_// Jazz implored, then laughed. //_Just kidding. I know how ya feel, so shout away._//

//_I am curious: What do humans do on these vacations of theirs,_// Broadside said, overlooking Jazz's 'advice'.

//_Yeah, me, too. We can all use a little R & R, finally,_// he sighed. //_Anyway, Prime wants_ _us to meet him at the FedEx Stadium, pronto_.// Jazz sent him it's exact address, along with an aerial map.

//_All right. Tell me where you are, and I'll give you a lift._//

//_That'd be great, thanks!_// Jazz slammed on the brakes, skidding to a stop on the side of the road, and was about to give Broadside his location when he spotted a familiar yellow Camaro heading toward him. //_Hey, Bumblebee! Where ya goin'? Didn't you get--_//

//_I can't talk right now!_// he interrupted.//_I must save Kaela!_//

//_What the hell happened? Where's Sam?!_.// Bumblebee raced by Jazz without even slowing. //_Hey, come back here!_//

//_I must save Kaela!_// he repeated_,_ and kept going.

Whatever was wrong with Mikaela had Bee in a panic. Jazz reopened the link to Broadside. //_Change of plans, big guy. Can you track me?_//

//_Yes, of course._//

//_Thanks, and be ready for more passengers._// He turned around and sped off to chase down Bumblebee.

* * *

It was becoming rather difficult to focus, since Starscream apparently decided that now was the perfect time to rant about all the slights he'd suffered, both real and imagined.

"He'll _consider_ it!" Starscream hissed, returning to the insult that had set off his tirade: Scrapper's response to the summons he'd sent.

"I cannot recall anyone speaking so disrespectfully to Megatron," Skywarp felt the need to mention, just to stoke his anger even more.

_You obnoxious pile of--- _Wheeljack cast a withering glare at the trouble-making Seeker.

"I'll give him something to consider, if he dares disobey me!"

"Aren't you done yet?" Thundercracker was also tired of listening to his rambling.

"No!" Starscream pointed an accusing finger at him. "This is all your fault!"

"_My _fault? What are you talking about?"

"If you hadn't become so obsessed with Optimus Prime--"

Skywarp jumped to his friend's defense. "He is not obsessed!" He turned toward Thundercracker. "Are you?

_This is ridiculous._ Wheeljack threw his welder down with a loud clatter. "Do you really believe that threats and bullying will earn you respect, Starscream?" He made a disparaging sound. "We Autobots respect Optimus, and would never be forced to grovel at his feet to prove it."

For a moment it seemed Starscream would continue bickering, but then he suddenly found some nearby brush fascinating. Both Skywarp and Thundercracker had nothing more to say, either.

Shaking his head, Wheeljack retrieved the welder. It will take time for Starscream to overcome all the atrocious habits he'd learned up from Megatron.

"--I still say the All Spark should be used to heal him," Starscream grumbled.

"There's no need to expend the new Cube's energy on easily repairable damage, not until we know of it's limitations, if it has any." His other reason for refusing the suggestion was Optimus' uncertain temper, but they did not need to know that. "Besides, I'm almost finished. In just a few cycles Ramjet will be ready to fly again."

"And ready to crash again," Skywarp snidely remarked, and got a sharp poke in the side from Thundercracker. "Ouch..."

"I do hope that reviving Thrust and Dirge won't be considereda _strain_ on the Cube," sniped Starscream; he would need all of his fliers back if he hoped to find what became of Thunderblast.

A new voice angrily cut in before Wheeljack could form a response.

"Arrogant Pit-spawned Seekers, always putting yourselves above everyone else!" Scrapper glared at the trio. "If you do somehow manage to recover the All Spark, I demand that it be used on my team first! _All _of them."

"Wonderful..." Wheeljack muttered to himself. A fight was one more problem he did _not _need.

"What is he doing here?" added Scavenger, gesturing to the Autobot.

"He's--repairing--Ramjet," Skywarp spoke slowly to the dimwitted grounder. "_Obviously."_

Scavenger bristled. "I'm not blind! Why didn't you ask Hook?"

"Because he's not receiving our messages." Thundercracker coolly informed him.

"Perhaps he's dead."

"No, he isn't." A superior smirk crossed Scrapper's face. "Hook will answer me."

"Then call him," Starscream imperiously ordered.

"I will, when _I'm _ready to."

Wheeljack sighed audibly. "May I remind you that Starscream did terminate Megatron? Why come here if you hadn't decided to accept him as your new Leader, Scrapper?"

"That's enough out of you." He aimed his cannon at the Autobot.

Uncomfortably reminded of his precarious situation, he kept his attention on Ramjet's damaged left wing. Showing any sign of fear would likely just encourage that fragger.

Starscream placed himself between them. "Don't even _think _about harming Wheeljack!"

"He's the scientist?" Scrapper took a second, longer look. "Megatron wanted him captured alive."

"And you're wondering why," Wheeljack surmised, relieved by the timely intervention. "Well, it hardly matters now, does it?" he continued in a tone he'd normally reserved for unruly Sparklings. "If you're really so determined to blast each other into melted slag, please do so somewhere else. Mars, for example."

They exchanged wary glances before finally retracting their weapons. Skywarp looked disappointed when they stood down, giving Wheeljack the urge to throw a large rock at his head. He firmly suppressed it and concentrated on his patient.

"Will you swear loyalty to the new Lord High Protector?" Thundercracker asked the pair, determined to settle the matter.

"Then it is true?" Scrapper questioned, frowning dubiously at Starscream. "What makes you think Prime's willing to share power with anyone now?"

"Optimus is not a tyrant, as you well know!" huffed an offended Wheeljack. "And I'm certain that, unlike the previous High Protector, Starscream is capable of _rational _negotiations. Are you?"

Skywarp aggressively pressed the issue further. "Answer Thundercracker's question, Scrapper. Are you loyal to that dead glitch, or our new Leader?"

"......" Scrapper glared at the Seekers. He may have suspected that Megatron's logic center had been corrupted somehow -- and didn't dare share his concerns with other Decepticons -- but that didn't mean he was ready to take orders from Starscream again. //_What do you think?_// he sent to Scavenger.

//_Me_?// He floundered, not used to being asked for his opinion on something. //_I----I am tired of fighting_._ Is that wrong?_// Scavenger asked in a small voice.

//_No...The war has dragged on for far too long_,// Scrapper had to admit. Maybe Starscream and Prime can peacefully co-rule Cybertron together. Stranger things have happened. This new All Spark was proof of that.

However, Scrapper wasn't going to even think about accepting Starscream as his new Leader unless he met one very important condition. "I want my team back now," he reiterated.

_You obstinant little-- _Starscream was about to tell Scrapper to go rust in a pit, but thought better of it. This can actually be turned to his advantage. "Very well. If you can guarantee their obedience, _all _Constructicons shall be resurrected first, including the ones at the bottom of the ocean," he announced, tossing a 'See? I can be reasonable.' look at Wheeljack.

Scrapper glanced at Scavenger, who nodded vigorously. "Fine. We have an agreement."

"What agreement might that be?" Hook stepped out from behind the remains of an apartment building.

"What kept you?" Scrapper irritably asked. Not getting an immediate response made him look bad in front of these fraggers.

"If you must know, I was about to leave this pathetic world." He raised an eyeridge at the Autobot with them. "So it is true. I didn't think he would ever muster the courage to challenge Megatron outright," Hook mused, disregarding the angry look he was given. "Now, tell me about this supposed agreement."

Starscream was all too happy to tell the obnoxious medic. "I shall be the new Lord High Protector of Cybertron."

_If the truce lasts long enough. _Hook kept that pessimistic thought to himself. This was going to get quite interesting. He was reasonably certain Soundwave will have something to say about Starscream's arrangement with Prime.

"You're leaving?" asked Scavenger, his tone sharp.

"I was. Megatron had no further use for me," Hook patiently explained.

That was just the lead-in Starscream had been hoping for. "But now that he's dead, you and your 'brothers' can return to your _true_ purpose: Building." It was obvious that that never occurred to them. All three blinked at him, then exchanged glances with each other. "Imagine a new, grander Crystal City," he added persuasively, sensing victory.

Scavenger's optics glazed over. "With the tallest, most finely crafted towers the galaxy's ever seen..."

"That would be a welcome change," Scrapper was forced to admit, and wished that Scavenger wasn't so easily swayed. It galled him to agree with a Seeker about anything.

"I do have some ideas on designs for them," Hook looked over at Ramjet, but didn't offer to help. The Autobot seemed competent enough at repairs, and besides, that moronic Seeker was incapable of appreciating his own superior expertise.

"Good." Starscream held back a self-satisfied smile -- the Constructicons were a prickly group -- and waited for Wheeljack to finish. For the first time in countless vorns, everything was going his way.


	32. Chapter 32

After a looong hiatus, I'm finally getting back into writing. :( This chapter's a bit short. Hope it turned out ok.

* * *

Prowl wasn't alone when Broadside located him. Arcee was standing guard over the still-motionless Security Chief, her weapon charged and ready.

After circling the area once, he landed a few yards away, and inadvertably crushed a group of cars. _Oops. Well...they were already damaged, anyway_. "Hello, Arcee," he cheerfully greeted, lowering the ramp to let his passengers out. "I didn't know you would be here."

"I volunteered to stand guard over Prowl."

"Volunteered, or flat out told Optimus?" teased a grinning Jazz.

"Certainly not. I was very polite in my request," Arcee primly retorted. "Do hurry, please."

"I hear ya." He picked up the pace over to them. "Where's Ultra Magnus? How come he didn't haul Prowl over to the stadium?"

"He was about to when he realized that he'd been damaged, and can't fully transform right now. So he's gone to rejoin Optimus." She grimaced in memory. "He was not happy."

"I can imagine. Thanks for the warning." A cranky Magnus wasn't someone to mess with.

Kneeling beside Prowl, Jazz held the Cube above him. Arcee looked on, waiting anxiously. It was unsettling to watch Prowl lying there so still. Arcs of blue light shot out, and his optics snapped open.

Prowl's gaze fixated on Arcee first, and the scorch mark that blackened her entire left shoulder. An odd sort of heat rippled through his spark. "I'll kill whoever did that to you!"

"Whoa!" Astonished, Jazz almost fell over. "Are you _emoting_?"

"I-" Prowl sat up, shaking his head, disoriented. As quickly as it had struck, the bewildering sensation was gone. A check on his processors revealed nothing amiss. "I don't know what you mean." Jazz just looked at him, which was rather unnerving. "How long was I down, and what's happened?" Prowl asked, hoping to distract him.

"Not long." Arcee helped Jazz get Prowl to his feet. That outburst wasn't like him at all! Could the All Spark have somehow failed to heal him completely? She resolved to ask Ratchet to examine him, once the medic felt ready to.

"Wheeljack took it upon himself to negotiate a truce with Starscream," Jazz informed Prowl. "It's anyone's guess if Optimus'll go along with the idea."

"A truce? With _Starscream_?" he blurted out, looking from Jazz to Arcee, and back again. "What idea?"

"Oh, just naming Screamer the new Lord High Protector of Cybertron." Jazz refrained from laughing at Prowl's open-mouthed stare. "Yep, this day's been full of surprises."

"What is going on out here?" Drawn by Prowl's shout, Bumblebee emerged from the 'shuttle', walking as quietly as possible. As relieved as he was to see Arcee and Prowl again, Bee was anxious to find Wheeljack so he could take care of Mikaela. Jazz had made a valid point when he said the human doctors wouldn't know how to repair the scientist's latest invention.

"Prowl had a bit of a meltdown, but he's over it now... I think." He blinked when Prowl stammered a denial. So there really is something going on there. It was a shame it's doomed to failure. Jazz nodded to Mikaela, who was curled up in Bee's hands. "How's she doing?"

"All right, for now. Sleeping." He closed his fingers around Kaela, not wanting her to get chilled from the damp weather. "A meltdown, you said?"

"That's not important right now," Prowl firmly asserted. "We must get the Cube back to Prime at once!"

"Excuse me," Broadside interrupted. "Sunstreaker just contacted me. He's found Mirage, dead."

"No!" Arcee couldn't believe her audios. Mirage was the last Autobot she'd expected to fall. "How?"

"I don't know, but the All Spark should be able to bring him back," Prowl stated, a trifle put off by the femme's reaction. Was there more than just friendship between them. _And why would it bother me if there is?_ He shook his head to refocus. "You have their coordinates, 'Side?"

"Yes."

"Ok, good. Everybody get onboard," ordered Jazz. "Prime'll need all of us with him, in case that fragger, Starscream, tries something."

Nodding, Arcee stayed by Prowl's side, just in case he needed help, as they started toward Broadside. A distant yell stopped them halfway up the landing ramp.

"HEEYY!"

"Sam?" Jazz whirled around, his feet scraping metal and drawing a complaint from Broadside.

"WAIT FOR ME!" Sam waved his arms in the air, carefully navigating around holes blasted in the ground and burned-out cars.

"Of all the-" Sprinting back down the ramp, Jazz reached Sam within seconds and snatched the boy up.

"Hey, quit it!" yelped Sam, wriggling in protest. "Put me down!"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Calm down! Jesus!" Sam had stopped struggling, arms crossed indignantly. Jazz glared at him. "Ok, look, me and Sunstreaker were gonna hunt down Soundwave together when-"

"You were WHAT?" Jazz cut in, his volume rising as he processed the explanation.

"Would you calm down! I'm fine!" Sam insisted. "Sunstreaker told me to take cover and wait 'til he came back - Optimus had called him - and I did, but-"

"Why was Sunstreaker tracking for Soundwave, without proper back-up?" asked Prowl.

Sam's face fell. "Well, you see, we'd found Mirage."

"Where is his body?" asked Prowl. Mirage and Ratchet had to be re-sparked at once. With Soundwave still out there somewhere, every Autobot was needed. And having his medic back will be a tremendous relief to Optimus.

"Over there." Sam waved a hand in a general easterly direction, hesitated, then pointed more northward. "Or maybe that way. Not really sure now.. I don't know this city. He'd been crushed. Sunstreaker said it had to have been Soundwave. He was _really_ pissed. But then Optimus called him away, so I hid. Then another Decepticon showed up."

Jazz did not take that bit of news well at all. "**WHAT**?"

Wincing, Sam clapped his hands over his ears that time. "Hook - at least I think it was Hook, they all look the same to me... But he didn't hurt me. All he did was bitch about how stupid and inferior we humans are. He kinda reminded me of my old science teacher. It was freaky," he remarked with a baffled frown, then shrugged one shoulder. "Anyway, Hook's gone. Probably heading back to Cybertron right now."

"You're lucky you didn't get squished under his foot!" Jazz could feel his processors start to overheat and took a moment to cool down. When did Sam suddenly lose all survival instincts? He had a few choice words to say to Sunstreaker later for allowing such reckless behavios. Adjusting his grip on the boy, he marched up the landing ramp and through a short corridor, stopping outside a cabin, where he dropped Sam onto a bunk bed. "Now stay put 'til we get the Cube back to Optimus."

"Hey, don't-" Sam squawked a protest, jumping to his feet just as the door closed. Frustrated, he gave it a solid kick. Jazz in guardian mode can be so pushy! Not to mention loud! He flopped back down onto the bed. _Fine with me. I could use a little alone time, anyway. _

"You're not going to lock him in, are you?" Bumblebee asked, coming up behind his friend.

"It's tempting," grumbled Jazz. "He almost got himself killed!"

"I know," Bumblebee sighed, gazing down at Mikaela. She was still sound asleep; the past two days' trials must have exhausted her. "I'd do everything in my power to keep Kaela safe, but... we should not try to control their behavior. They'll only resent us for it, or worse."

"Yeah..." Jazz wasn't in the mood to admit it, but Bee was right. He opened a link to Sunstreaker. /_Hey, you. Sam told us what happened. Could you send me directions to Mirage's body? Broadside's with us; we're gonna take the All Spark to Mirage and-_/

/_I'm on my way there now_!/ Sunstreaker immediately sent, along with the exact coordinates.

_Huh...Didn't see that coming_, Jazz pondered Sunstreaker's odd behavior. Except for his twin, he wasn't all that close with anyone. Why would he want to be there when Mirage, an even more aloof Autobot, is resparked. Well, that little mystery would have to wait. And as for Soundwave and his demented little runts, they'll be ready for a scrap pile once Ratchet and Ironhide get through with them. He turned back to the door and opened it. Sam was stretched out on the bed, hands folded under his head, staring up at the ceiling. "You can come on out, Sammy."

"Okay.." he muttered, not quite finished nursing his grievences. So much for quiet time.

Sam still wouldn't directly look at him. That wasn't a good sign. Jazz wondered how long he was going to stay mad. "-sorry I yelled at ya."

"Uh-huh." Sam rolled off the bed and headed out the door. Once things are back to normal - or as normal as they can be - he was gonna to have alot of thinking to do. "Hey, Bee." He smiled up his his former guardian, then frowned in concern, his own problems quickly forgotten. Mikaela seemed to be asleep, but her face looked way too pale. "Mikaela? Bee? Is she ok?" he asked when she didn't answer.

"Her spinal implants are malfunctioning," he explained in a somber voice.

Sam turned even whiter than Mikaela. "Oh, no..."

"Don't worry. She'll be fine once Wheeljack's repaired them," Jazz stated with utmost confidence.

"Hope so." Sam crossed his fingers, just in case. There was a jarring thump just then as Broadside landed, which woke Mikaela.

"Hhm? What's going on?" She glanced around, rubbing at her eyes.

"We're about to bring Mirage back to life," Bumblebee informed her.

"Oh..." From her vantage point next to a window, she could see Sunstreaker, who'd just rolled up.

Bee hung back while everyone else disembarked. "Would you rather stay here, 'Kaela? Mirage can be-difficult"

"Only if you want to." She patted his thumb reassuringly. Bee was such a sweet, thoughtful guy, even if he was a giant robot. "If he or Sunstreaker get snarky, I can give as good as I get. Just like Sam."

"That's true enough," Bee chuckled.

Outside, Sunstreaker was confronting Jazz's human. "Are you incapable of following the simplest directions?"

It occured to Sam then that being a prick really wasn't strictly a human trait. "Bite me!"

Jazz gave Sunstreaker a warning look, then placed the Cube on Mirage's chest.

Squinting through the bright blue light, Mikaela could see the crushed body fill out. That Cube healed amazingly fast; it was finished in just seconds.

"Slagging Femme!" were the first words out of Mirage.

"Excuse me?" Arcee tilted her head, baffled, and more than a little put off.

He froze at the sound of Arcee's voice. _Idiot. Why not just announce to the world you bonded with Thunderblast? _"I wasn't referring to you," he haughtily replied in an attempt to cover his careless slip. Avoiding everyone's gaze, especially Sunstreaker's, he stood, inspecting his armor and making a show of brushing off clumps of soil. "I don't suppose anyone's obliged me and terminated Soundwave while I was...indisposed?"

"Not yet, and I'd leave him to Ratchet, and 'Hide, if I were you," Jazz advised when Mirage looked ready to storm off, then briskly ushered everyone all back inside the shuttle.

After receiving a condensed version of the day's events, Mirage opened a private link to Sunstreaker. /_I need your help_./

/_**My **__help?_/ repeated Sunstreaker, feigning astonishment.

/_Yes,_/ he irritably confirmed. /_I need to find Thunderblast, before Starscream does_./

/_Starscream?_/ Sunstreaker's tone was scornful now. /_Why would he want to_?/

/_He'd made her his Second before he was executed._/

_/Really?/_ Sunstreaker chuckled. /_How incredibly foolish of him._/

/_Indeed... Will you help me?_/ Mirage prompted. Eliminating the chance of Her being resurrected would spare him a great deal of aggravation.

/_Yes, I think I shall. After all, I know exactly where her body is,_/ Sunstreaker informed him.

A flash of anger lanced through Mirage's spark. /_So it was you that killed her!_/

/_You already know she's dead? How-_/ Sunstreaker gave him a disgusted look. /_You actually bonded with that creature? How could you be so stupid?_/

/_It wasn't intentional, I assure you_!/ Mirage snapped defensively; he would pick now to be difficult! /_Besides_, _I'd told you that I would take care of the problem!_/

/_By not keeping your chest armor closed?_/ was Sunstreaker scornful retort.

_/Enough! What's done is done. Neither of us can change the past, so there's no point in arguing_./

/_If anyone else ever finds out..._./

/_They won't_!/

/_What is going on?_/ Sideswipe broke in, noticing the glares those two were giving each other.

/_Nothing!_/ they both answered at the same time.

/_Riiiight_,/ he scoffed, hardly convinced. /_Whatever it is, fight about it later. We're about to land._/

/.../ Mirage stalked over to a vacant corner, he and Sunstreaker pretending to be completely disinterested in each other now.

As soon as the door opened wide enough Jazz raced out the door and down the ramp. Sam shut his eyes tight, but wasn't about to gripe about getting dizzy; he was just as anxious to have Ratchet brought back to life. Skidding to a stop by the medic's body, Jazz set the Cube down atop the shattered spark chamber.

Sam and Mikaela both held their breath as the now-familiar bluish light engulfed Ratchet. As it faded a massive shudder wracked his body.

"Ratchet!" Jazz grabbed him by the shoulders. "It's alright You're ok now!"

"Jazz?" Ratchet kept his optics shuttered a few seconds longer. Sensors back to full power confirmed an unwelcome truth. There was a moderate amount of moisture along with a trace of acrid smoke in the atmosphere. He was still on Earth, where he did _not _want to be. "What-?"

"Have I got alot to tell ya!" Jazz lent a helping hand when Ratchet was slow to get to his feet. "Here." He presented him with the All Spark: After everything he'd been through, Ratchet deserved to hold onto it. "Megatron's dead. For good this time!"

"Dead?" Dumbstruck, Ratchet caressed the Cube reverently. "I-I told him that he would fail, but I didn't truly believe it.."

"Well, there ya go. You're always right, even when you don't know it!" Sam declared with a grin.

"Not always," Ratchet bitterly intoned. An internal scan showed that the leather tote bag he'd carefully tucked away had not been damaged by Megatron. Thank Primus for that small favor.

_Oh, crap.. I'm such an idiot! _Aghast over his horribly insensitive remarks, Sam's shoulders drooped. A pat on the back from Jazz didn't make him feel much better.

The sympathetic looks he was receiving grated on Ratchet's processor. "Why are we just standing about?" he asked, a trifle sharply. "The All Spark must be returned to Optimus at once."

"Right." Nodding jerkily, Jazz offered a hand to Sam, who didn't hesitate to accept the lift.

At Bumblebee's urgent request, Ratchet scanned Mikaela's back, seeking the cause of her returned paralysis. _Hmm. _Not originally meant to be implanted inside an organic body, the tiny devices were eroding. An adequate coating was needed to protect them, which Wheeljack should have no difficulty in creating. He assured Bumblebee and Mikaela of that, then listened to Jazz's disjointed report. _Starscream_ as the new Lord High Protector? Unbelievable! Wheeljack has been known to overstep his bounds on occasion, but this took insubordination to a new level. The thud and accompanying vibration of Broadside landing interrupted Ratchet's thoughts. Ratchet took a moment to mentally brace himself before joining the others in disembarking.

"Now what?" asked Jazz, frowning worriedly. Prime was looking pretty stressed out, again.

"Wheeljack just sent me an-_unusual_ message: Starscream has somehow persuaded the Constructicons to accept him as High Protector."

"Great. Just great." Jazz could feel an ache growing in his central processor.

"Maybe they won't not so bad after all," Sam ventured. "I mean, that Hook guy acted more like a super-stuck-up Dr. McCoy than a psycho killer.

Jazz shook his head. "Trust me, Sam. The whole lot of 'em's got loose circuits." He turned back to Prime. ""What'd the slagger promise them, anyway?"

"I have no idea. Wheeljack said he'll explain it all when-." Optimus stopped short, staring past them. "Ratchet..."

Ironhide's reaction was much more vocal.

"**RATCHET**!" He barreled through the cluster of Autobots, who were quick to get out of his way.

"Unf," Ratchet grunted, finding himself on the receiving end of an armor-creaking hug, but didn't push Ironhide away. His friend's emotional outburst came as no surprise; he was hard pressed keeping his own emotions in check.

"Ironhide, you're crushing him," Optimus gently chided as he walked over to them.

"Hmph..sorry.." Ironhide let go, then glowered fiercely at Ratchet. "Don't _ev_er get yourself slagged again!"

"I don't intend to!" Ratchet emphatically declared.

"Well, good. Make sure you don't. Hmph." Satisfied, Ironhide moved aside when Optimus stepped forward.

"Ratchet," he uttered thickly, grasping the medic's lower arm in a tight grip. "Welcome back."

"Optimus." Ratchet nodded formally, keeping the wretched lassitude he was feeling out of his voice. "Jazz told me about Wheeljack's recent misdeed."

"Misdeed..." Optimus repeated with a brittle smile. "Not quite the word I'd chose."

Unable to manage any kind of a smile in return, Ratchet retrieved the All Spark from beneath his armor plating and held it out to his Leader.

"Keep it," instructed Optimus. "For now, it's safer with someone else."

"I understand." He put the Cube back. Until the remaining Decepticons have adequately proved that they were trustworthy - and until the Autobot own ranks are replenished - no chances could be taken.

Optimus glanced at Sam and Mikaela, then back at Mikaela. Why was Bumblebee still holding her? "Mikaela? Are you all right?"

"I'm hanging in there." Mikaela tried to sound cheerful, but could tell from his expression that she was far from convincing. _Damn. I have got to take acting classes._

"The implants stopped working." Bee explained. "Her paralysis returned."

Prime's optics darkened in concern. "No..."

"It comes and goes, actually," Mikaela hastily added, and wished that Bee hadn't blurted that out. Optimus had enough on his plate. "See?" She wiggled a foot as proof.

"Where is Wheeljack, anyway?" asked an anxious Sam.

"I told him to keep the Seekers preoccupied, to keep them from disrupting our meeting with Keller. He _cannot_ help you. Not yet, Mikaela." Optimus clenched his fists, frsutrated that were was nothing he could do for her right now.

"Hey, don't worry. I'll be fine." She appealed to Ratchet. "Right, Ratch'?"

_Why ask me? _Firmly suppressing that irrational anger, Ratchet concentrated on Banes. "The implants are eroding, but at a slow rate. She's not in immediate danger."

"Thank you, Ratchet," Optimus murmured, immensely relieved, then gave them the rest of the news. "I've contacted Secretary Keller." After several failed attempts, he'd resorted to hacking directly into Keller's phone. The breach of security had not been been well-received by the humans. "He is on his way here now, to speak to us in person about our future status on Earth."

"Your future status?" Mikaela repeated, not liking that phrasing. "Just what does that mean?"

"I'm not certain, but we're about to find out." He looked skyward, watching as a helicoptor, accompanied by four of the humans' jets, approached. After circling the area twice, the helicopter landed. The Defense Secretary must have already been on his way here when Optimus contacted him. "Defense Secretary Keller," Optimus greeted formally, somewhat alarmed by Keller's appearance. There were dark circles under the man's eyes, and deep creases in his face. The past few days had obviously been very hard on him. "The war may be over, but Soundwave has not yet been found, and could prove to be a threat."

"Someone had to come take charge, and I was nominated." Keller suspected that he was considered the most expendable, but didn't mention that to the assembled Autobots. These beings weren't likely to understand the concept of growing old. "As for Soundwave, we know where he's hiding -him and his little buddies. We got two of our satellites back online about twenty minutes ago, both aimed at D.C."

"_Where?" _Ratchet stalked forward, drawing the rotary saws the All Spark had restored when it healed him. "I'll deal with them!"

"Not alone," Ironhide growled.

Ratchet turned to face Ironhide. "It is _**my **_right to avenge her!"

Keller's guards nervously raised their own weapons, but warily lowered them again when he ordered them to stand down.

/_We don't yet know which, or how many, of Soundwave's drones is responsible, or whether it was done on his orders,_/ Optimus sent in a rigidly calm voice; he could not allow personal feelings affect judgment, ever again.

"Actually, classifying them as drones may be a mistake," Prowl conjectured aloud, reviewing past reports. "There have been two instances when they've shown a capacity for independent thought, and acted rashly - which clearly displeased Soundwave."

"That's _wonderful _to know," Sunstreaker snidely remarked. "Now ask us if we _care_."

Hunching his shoulders defensively, Prowl spluttered. "I'm not saying that that in any way absolves them of the murder of a virtually helpless human being!"

Bumblebee clapped a hand to his head. Short of tackling Prowl, he couldn't think of any other way to get him to stop talking!

"It doesn't!" both Ratchet and Ironhide snarled.

"We're getting three teams ready to go in and take them down," Keller continued after clearing his throat, loudly. "They all have experience at capturing 'NBEs'."

Bumblebee shifted his feet, uncomfortably reminded of his own capture, and the abuse he'd endured. This would only make a bad situation worse. "Sir, I think we should handle Soundwave ourselves."

"I agree. There is no reason to risk your mens' lives, Secretary. Leave Soundwave to us."

"All right," the man agreed, albeit reluctantly. "But we'll be watching, and ready, just in case. They're hiding out at the Arlington Cemetery, of all places."

"Arcee, find Soundwave and his drones and track them, but do not draw their attention to yourself," instructed Optimus.

"Yes, Sir!"

The Femme left Prowl's side, who did not look pleased for some reason, and sprinted off. "There is also a chance, however slim, that Soundwave will accept Starscream as the new Lord High Protector," Optimus conjectured aloud to the remaining group. That possibility could not be ignored. Soundwave was no fool, and was far too practical to let allegiance to a now-dead leader cloud his judgement. He would do whatever it took to survive. In fact, Starscream could be negotiating with him at this very moment.

Ironhide growled, but was circumspect enough not to argue with him in front of the humans. Ratchet gave him an expressionless look, then turned away. Optimus had no doubts that they'll both have plenty to say to him later. By Primus, Wheeljack's plan could create more problems than it solves!

"Now, wait just a second," Keller said, his expression turning bullish. "You mind telling me what the hell that's all about?"

"A truce has been reached with the Decepticons," Optimus grudgingly announced. He would have liked to have had more time to consider the ramifications of his decision, but the sooner all threat was removed from this world, the better. As easy as it would be to simply challenge, and kill, Starscream, that notion had been rejected the moment it had occured to him, and not just for Wheeljack's sake. He sincerely hoped that the Autobot scientist has as much influence over his former pupil as he seems to believe.

Keller did not look pleased with the news; his face darkened.

"A truce, huh? Just like that, after everything they've done? Hundreds of people dead, not to mention-"

"You have our condolences for your losses," Optimus put in when the man paused to take a breathe. "Once guilt has been determined, they will answer for their crimes," he avowed. To be fair, that decree had to include all surviving Decepticons, truce or no truce. And regardless of his own personal feelings, too.

"We appreciate that. However," Keller plowed ahead stoically, as he'd been ordered, "the President, as well as many other world leaders, feel that compensation is in order. The Chinese leader, especially, is fit to be tied," he ended with a grimace of a smile.

"What sort of compensation are you suggesting?" _Are they brazen enough to ask for the All Spark_? was the first conclusion he jumped to. "The All Spark is ours!" Optimus added in a flash of temper.

"Hold on there. Take it easy." Keller spread his hands placatingly. "No one's gonna try to take the Cube from you."

"Surely they know that it cannot ressurrect organic lifeforms," put in Prowl, seeking to soothe his Leader with logic.

_Or can it? _Ratchet wondered, a glimmer of hope in his spark. There were, of course, no records of any such attempt being made - until the Great War began the All Spark had never left Cybertron, as far as anyone knew - and no mention of one by humans in the Sector Seven files they'd acquired from the U.S. government and Simmons. He kept his faceplates relaxed, concealing the wild speculations from his companions.

"It can't fix all the hundreds of demolished buildings, either," Keller stated, the bulldog expression back again.

Optimus shifted his feet, well aware of the destruction wrought by the Decepticons, who had been led to this world by Starscream. _He will atone for this, one way or another, _Optimus swore, deciding that this was a perfect test for him. If he fails, Wheeljack will simply have to accept the truth of his former student's character. "We will do all we can to help rebuild your cities," he promised the man, while opening a comm and sending specific instructions to Wheeljack. Keller looked less disagruntled now.

"That's just what we were hoping you'd say. Otherwise it'd take years to rebuild, and cost billions of dollars."

"So you're not going to try to make them leave, then," Mikaela concluded, almost sighing with relief. Just how they'd planned to accomplish that was not something she wanted to find out.

The frantic warning from Arcee came to Optimus just a second before the small assembly increased by four members. Skywarp suddenly appeared, with three others in tow. Wheeljack, Starscream and Soundwave.


End file.
